U.S. Department of Education Issues Interpretive Rule to Reduce Barriers for New and Emerging Accrediting Agencies

Today, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) issued an interpretive rule aimed at reducing existing barriers for new accrediting agencies to apply for recognition from the Secretary of Education. The interpretive rule will promote competition among accreditors and provide opportunities for new institutional and programmatic accreditors to break up the existing monopolies in the accreditation market.

The Trump Administration has made accreditation reform a top priority. This interpretive rule follows a series of actions to increase competition, including making it easier for colleges and universities to change accreditors, eliminating artificial barriers that drive up costs, refocusing quality assurance on data-driven student outcomes, and investing in new and emerging quality assurance providers.

"The Trump Administration is reforming the broken accreditation system to prioritize students, not legacy accreditors. Americans do not trust accreditors because they have failed to ensure educational quality at colleges and universities. Too often, accreditors have been focused on the wrong things, like promoting partisan ideologies, instead of ensuring quality outcomes for students," said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent. "The accreditation market has been stagnant for far too long, and this interpretive rule will help the Department bring new accreditors into the market. Increased competition will spur innovation and refocus accreditors on what matters most: ensuring students are prepared for good jobs after graduation. "

The interpretive rule clarifies the Department's recognition process as outlined at 34 CFR Part 602, including:

• Clarifying when accreditation activities begin for the purpose of satisfying the regulatory requirement that accreditors must conduct two years of accrediting activities before they can be recognized by the Department; and

• Shortening the process of review by committing to determining whether an accrediting agency meets the basic eligibility requirements within 60 calendar days from submission of the agency's application with the intention to complete review of the written petition between six to 12 months.

Background

Section 496 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) requires the Secretary of Education to set forth criteria for the recognition and evaluation of accrediting agencies. 34 CFR 601.12 outlines the specific criteria that accrediting agencies seeking initial recognition must meet in order to be recognized by the Secretary as a Title IV, HEA program gatekeeper.

Since 1999, the Department has recognized only four new accrediting agencies with the authority to establish institutional eligibility to participate in Title IV, HEA programs. This interpretive rule aims to help new entrants access the accreditation marketplace, increase competition among accreditors by eliminating unwarranted waiting periods, and ultimately provide institutions with more options for seeking accreditation.

This interpretive rule is nonbinding and is designed to inform the public of the Department's current position and interpretation of the law and its regulations.

As mandated in Executive Order 14279, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, the Department has taken several other substantive actions to improve the current accreditation system:

• Resumed recognizing new accreditors: Shortly after the Executive Order was signed, the Department resumed recognizing new accrediting agencies to increase competition in higher education.

• Lifted the moratorium on switching accreditors: The Department removed restrictions on institutions' ability to change accreditors, allowing them to switch freely.

• Requested stakeholder input on the Accreditation Handbook: The Department issued a request for information to gather feedback on necessary updates to the Accreditation Handbook. The Department is reviewing comments and will issue an update at a future date.

• Allocated the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to support accreditation reform: The Department awarded nearly $15 million through FIPSE to support emerging accreditors and efforts that help institutions pursue accreditation or change accreditors as part of a broader $169 million grant competition.

• Announced the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Negotiated Rulemaking Committee: The Department announced its intent to establish the AIM Committee, which will convene in April and May 2026 to consider draft regulations addressing various topics including those outlined in today's interpretive rule.

• Proposed an Interpretive Rule on the "regional" label: The Department issued a proposed rule clarifying that the "regional" label used by accrediting agencies and other entities-such as institutions, states, and professional licensure boards-creates inappropriate barriers and misleads students and the public.