October 2025

October 14, 2025

Introduction

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has developed a new publication entitled Policy Watch. This publication provides accreditation stakeholders and CHEA-eligible institutions with updates on developments affecting accreditation 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 informative and useful.

The White House

President Donald Trump has signed two Executive Orders that directly affect accreditation:

1. Executive Order on the Wind-Down of the U.S. Department of Education (March 20, 2025)

This order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “wind down the operations of the U.S. Department of Education to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law,” returning education authority to the states while maintaining “uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”

While the order calls for the closure of the Department, this action cannot occur without Congressional approval, and current analysis suggests there are insufficient votes in the Senate to eliminate the agency.

2. Executive Order on Accreditation Oversight (April 23, 2025)

This order directs Secretary McMahon to investigate and hold accreditors accountable for institutions that engage in discriminatory practices through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and to streamline the accreditation process to promote high-quality education and competition among accreditors.

CHEA notes that there is significant concern about potential regulations the Department may develop to implement these orders. CHEA continues to monitor developments closely and will update members as more information becomes available.

U.S. Department of Education

The Department of Education has announced plans to pursue new regulations on accreditation as part of its regulatory agenda. Details and timelines have not yet been released.

Additionally, the Department’s upcoming negotiated rulemaking sessions are expected to address a range of topics, including quality assurance standards for Workforce Pell Grant programs.

CHEA will inform members as additional details on topics and schedules become available.

Nomination

President Trump has nominated David Barker, a member of the Iowa Board of Regents, to serve as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
If confirmed, Barker would serve with Under Secretary nominee Nicholas Kent, overseeing higher education programs and policy. According to a USDE release, Barker’s priorities would include:

  • Reforming accreditation to improve accountability,
  • Strengthening federal student aid programs, and
  • Aligning grant initiatives with the Administration’s priorities.

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI)

The summer NACIQI meeting has been rescheduled from July to October 2025 to allow time for the appointment of new committee members, as the terms of current USDE members have expired.

These appointments are expected to shift the ideological balance of the committee. The upcoming session may bring changes in how NACIQI reviews accrediting organizations for federal recognition.

In addition, the committee chair position has been vacated, and a new chair is expected to be elected at the October meeting.

Proposed Legislation

Two bills concerning higher education accreditation were recently marked up by the Education Committee, which means the bill was reviewed and approved, in the House of Representatives:

H.R. 2516 – Accreditation for College Excellence Act of 2025
Sponsored by Representative Burgess Owens, this bill would prohibit accreditors from requiring institutions to comply with social justice or DEI-related standards. It passed the committee on a party-line vote.

The bill also seeks to codify a overhaul of the accreditation system, restricting DEI standards and reinforcing protections for religious missions. A similar bill passed the House last year but was not taken up by the Senate.

H.R. 4054 – The Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act
This bill would allow states to serve as accreditors and introduces a range of new requirements, including:

  • Prohibiting individuals affiliated with an accredited institution from serving on the accrediting body that reviews that institution,
  • Measuring student success using financial outcomes (income vs. program cost),
  • Standardizing terminology across accreditors, and
  • Establishing a religious mission protection clause that places the burden of proof on accreditors and the Department of Education.

While CHEA supports several provisions—such as:

  1. Public disclosure of accreditation decisions,
  2. Allowing institutions not under sanction to change accreditors without USDE approval,
  3. Permitting dual accreditation, and
  4. Ensuring that transfer of credit is not denied solely based on institutional accreditation—

CHEA cannot support the bill in its current form. Due to opposition from higher education associations and institutions, the bill is unlikely to advance in the House, and if considered, is expected to fail in the Senate.

CHEA will continue to monitor legislative developments in both chambers and provide updates as proposals move forward.

New Accreditor Initiative

Six states—Florida, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia—have announced plans to create a new accrediting organization for their public institutions, the Commission for Public Higher Education.

Typically, the USDE recognition process for a new accreditor takes three to five years. However, the April 2025 Executive Order on accreditation directs the Department to establish an accelerated approval process for new accreditors.

It remains unclear how this process will be implemented or how quickly these states will be able to:

  • Develop and adopt standards,
  • Hire staff,
  • Conduct institutional reviews, and
  • Complete the recognition process.

Given these uncertainties, CHEA recognition remains an important and stable indicator of academic quality and integrity. CHEA was asked and has provided comments on the proposed standards for this new accreditor. CHEA will continue to monitor developments closely.