What is Accreditation and What Happens if Columbia University Loses It?
What is Accreditation and What Happens if Columbia University Loses It? (US News and World Report, June 5, 2025) Columbia University could face far-reaching consequences as the Trump administration threatens its accreditation and accuses the school of violating federal anti-discrimination laws. The potential loss of accreditation raises unanswered questions and poses serious risks for Columbia— or any other higher education institution— as a high-stakes battle between the White House and colleges across the country escalates. Accreditation is required for federal student loan eligibility and Pell Grants, and its loss would have direct impacts on students and faculty.
Quote of the Week, (Higher Ed Dive, June 2, 2025) “There’s a bit of anxiousness among accreditors and institutions and state legislators because of the uncertainty. Is it that they are intentionally being vague or general until they can work out all of the nuances of the policies that they want to implement? I can tell you, less is not more in this situation.” That’s Cynthia Jackson Hammond, President of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, on the effects of Trump’s executive order on college accreditation.
How Accreditors Are Navigating a New, Anxious Environment Under Trump (Higher Ed Dive, May 29, 2025) Officials from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation discuss the current state of higher education. To understand what the accreditation system may look like during Trump’s second term, Higher Ed Dive spoke with two officials from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the group that vets and advocates for accreditors: Cynthia Jackson Hammond, President of CHEA, and Jan Friis, CHEA’s Senior Vice President for Government Affairs.
No, Trump Is Not Pulling Columbia’s Accreditation. Here’s What You Need to Know (The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 4, 2025) The Trump administration is yet again escalating its fight with the Ivy League, pressuring Columbia University’s accreditor to take action over allegations the institution violated federal antidiscrimination laws. The government sent a similar notice in May about the University of Pennsylvania’s alleged violation of Title IX. The threat against Columbia is another example of how the administration is stretching the boundaries of federal law and regulation to achieve its ideological goals, accreditation experts said. While it’s unlikely to result in any significant penalty against Columbia, let alone a loss of accreditation, the move could also give the Education Department a pretext to punish the accreditor.