Education Department Seeks Public Comments on Accreditation Reform

Kicking off its plan to make changes to the accreditation process, the Department of Education is soliciting public comments on updates to the agency’s Accreditation Handbook. Although the Department has not yet formally announced a negotiated rulemaking to amend current accreditation regulations, the public comments may also inform that effort, which is expected to commence soon.

According to the Department, its solicitation of public comments on accreditation reform is intended to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order on accreditation to ensure that the recognition process is transparent, efficient, and not unduly burdensome and to improve student outcomes. The Department is specifically seeking feedback on the following questions:

• What policies or practices should be updated in the current version of the Handbook from February 2022? Are there particular pain points that the Department should be aware of? What policies or standards are encouraging innovation or reducing college costs within the postsecondary education sector and should be retained?
• Are there any inaccuracies, inconsistencies or inclusions within the Handbook that are counter to the regulations? Additionally, are there any items within the law or regulations that need further explanation?
• What policies or practices could be clearer? Do interested parties have suggestions on the process by which [the Department] update[s] the Handbook in the event Federal regulations are further revised in future rulemakings? In what specific formats would stakeholders prefer to see clarifying information or updates, whether that be via an Electronic Announcement, in a Dear Colleague Letter, or regulations?
• Is the Handbook serving its intended purpose? How can it better assist accrediting agencies and associations in evaluating the quality of educational institutions and programs or in applying for Federal recognition?
• What might be an alternative solution to offer guiding advice to accrediting agencies and associations outside of the Handbook? How can the Handbook be designed to be less burdensome?
• How could accreditation standards be updated to incentivize intellectual diversity on campus? What guidance or standards, if any, can the Handbook provide to institutions and programs to help achieve this goal?
• Keeping in mind that the Department intends to take further action on this subject matter, what would stakeholders suggest as methods to determine appropriate assessment benchmarks, and what data sources or validation methods could be used to ensure those benchmarks reflect student competency? If new assessment methods are developed, how should the Department evaluate the feasibility and administrative burden associated with developing or administering new assessments? How do stakeholders suggest that the Department present these benchmarks in updated guidance materials?

Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov by January 26, 2026. NAICU intends to submit comments.

For more information, please contact:
Jody Feder