The Accreditation Overhaul Could Impact Professional Licensure

The Trump administration’s proposal to strip the American Bar Association’s federal recognition as an accreditor has raised concerns about whether future law school graduates could still qualify for attorney licensure in some states. In theory, the impact should be limited since licensure requirements are set at the state level and only Florida requires federal recognition for law licensure. Even within Florida, most affected law schools have a second institutional accreditor to fall back on, leaving just five stand-alone schools at real risk. However, experts anticipate more accreditors to lose or relinquish federal recognition as the Education Department overhauls accreditor oversight and cracks down on non-compliant agencies, with health-related professions seen as particularly exposed.