December 2025

December 18, 2025

A Briefing for Institutional Leaders

Introduction

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has developed a new publication entitled Executive Talking Points. This publication provides concise updates on accreditation-related issues of importance to executives at CHEA-eligible institutions. Each issue will summarize key developments and policy actions emerging from the White House, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and the federal courts.

We hope you find this publication a valuable resource for staying informed about the evolving policy landscape affecting accreditation and higher education.

 The White House

In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin winding down the operations of the USDE "to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.

CHEA Insight: The Department cannot be closed without Congressional approval, and current projections indicate insufficient Senate support to achieve this objective.

  • Executive Order: Wind-Down of the U.S. Department of Education
  • Executive Order: Accreditation Reform

    A second Executive Order, issued in April 2025, directs the Secretary of Education to overhaul the accreditation process by Increasing competition among accreditors.

    CHEA Insight: Institutions and accreditors are awaiting details on the regulations USDE may develop to implement these directives.

The Department Of Education

The Department of Education has announced accreditation is part of its regulatory agenda. There is concern about the negotiated rulemaking which will decide quality assurance rules for Work Force Pell programs.

CHEA Insight: The Department has used rulemaking to develop regulations that are more restrictive for institutions and programs than are necessary. There are no details or timeline announced at this time, but it looks like it will be in the Spring of 2026.

The Department of Education is in the middle of negotiated rulemaking on issues related to quality assurance standards for Workforce Pell Grant programs. These provisions were enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.

The final rules for these provisions have not yet been formalized and announced.

CHEA Insight: Under normal circumstances institutions have eight months to prepare for implementation when new rules are announced. In this case, however, institutions will have very little time to prepare to implement these rules.

In its effort to reduce its size, USDE announced partnerships transferring responsibilities to the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services (HHS), and State. USDE claims these programs mark a major step toward improving the management of select programs by leveraging partner agencies’ administrative experience.

CHEA Insight: These partnerships will reduce the size of the Department but will increase work for institutions as they will have to communicate with multiple agencies when they could previously communicate with USDE.

In its effort to change accreditation, USDE has announced priorities under the Fund for the improvement of Postsecondary Education including encouraging accreditation reform.

CHEA Insight: The grants will provide seed funding to start new accrediting organizations and seeding funding for institutions to change accreditor.

 U.S. House Of Representatives

The House of Representatives reviewed two bills focused on higher education accreditation. Both bills were considered and approved by the committee

HR 2516, which prohibits accreditors from requiring compliance with social justice issues.

A similar bill passed the House last year, but was never considered by Senate.

HR 4054, would allow states to become accreditors. It would prohibit any employee of, or person connected to, an institution accredited by the accrediting organization from serving the commission that accredits the institution to which they are connected. It would measure student success on a financial model (income vs. cost of the program). These are among the reasons not to support this bill.

CHEA Insight: H.R. 4054 is not likely to come to the floor of the House. The prospect for H.R. 2516 and H.R. 4054 passage in the Senate is unlikely. 

New Accreditor Initiative

Six states—Florida, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia—have announced the formation of a new accreditor, the Commission for Public Higher Education, for their public institutions.

Ordinarily, new accreditors require three to five years for USDE recognition. However, the April Executive Order instructs the Department to create an accelerated approval process.

CHEA Insight: The implementation timeline and process remain unclear. All new accreditors should be reviewed for recognition with the same rigor as currently recognized accreditors. CHEA recognition remains a critical, independent indicator of quality and integrity.

For more details on each of these topics, please review CHEA’s Policy Watch