The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday it will eliminate the rigorous review process previously required for colleges and universities seeking to change accreditors, a move critics warn could undermine educational quality standards.
The announcement, which implements parts of President Trump's Executive Order on "Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education," simultaneously lifts a moratorium on reviewing applications for new accrediting bodies.
In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon framed the policy change as promoting competition.
"We must foster a competitive marketplace both amongst accreditors and colleges and universities in order to lower college costs and refocus postsecondary education on improving academic and workforce outcomes for students and families." she said.
However, higher education policy experts expressed concerns that the streamlined process could enable institutions to evade accountability by shopping for less stringent accreditors.
The Department's new Dear Colleague Letter revokes guidance issued by the Biden administration in 2022 that had established a pre-clearance process for institutional accreditor changes. The new guidance explicitly allows institutions to change accreditors for reasons including finding one that "better aligns with a religious mission," accommodating shifts in academic programs, complying with state law requirements, or avoiding accreditors that impose "discriminatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices and principles."
Education advocates worry the policy shift prioritizes institutional freedom over student protections.
"When we make it easier for colleges to switch accreditors without thorough vetting, we risk creating a race to the bottom where standards are compromised," said one higher education researcher. "The students who will suffer most are often those from historically underrepresented groups who depend on accreditation as an assurance of quality."
The Department characterized its previous approach as overreaching, stating in the new guidance.
"It is not the Department's prerogative to infer any other meanings from the basic requirements or contrive a multi-step investigation. This guidance re-establishes a simple process that will remove unnecessary requirements and barriers to institutional innovation."
The policy change also rescinds the October 2024 pause on reviewing applications for new accrediting agencies. At least one prospective accreditor that had its application temporarily paused has now been notified that its review will proceed.
Critics contend that enabling more accreditors with potentially varying standards could fragment the higher education quality assurance landscape in ways that confuse students and employers.
"The fundamental question is whether reducing oversight will actually improve educational outcomes or simply make it easier for underperforming institutions to avoid consequences," said a public university president, who asked to remain anonymous, for fear of retaliation. "History suggests the latter is more likely."
The Department has not announced specific metrics to evaluate whether the policy changes lead to improved outcomes for students or institutions.