Education Department Proposes Overhauling College Accreditation; Public Comment Closes September 21
The proposed rule would make it easier for colleges to switch accreditors and for new accrediting agencies to form, while adding new transfer-credit and cost-disclosure requirements for students.
Meridians Life Desk
Published 8 September 2026 · Updated 8 September 2026 · 4 min read
EducationThe short answer
- The Department of Education published a proposed rule overhauling college accreditation in the Federal Register on August 20, 2026.
- Public comments are open through September 21, 2026, via regulations.gov.
- The rule would let colleges switch or hold multiple accreditors more easily and remove the 'two-year rule' for new accrediting agencies.
- New provisions would require written explanations when colleges deny transfer credit and more upfront disclosure of program costs.
The Department of Education published a proposed rule on August 20, 2026, that would rewrite how it recognizes the accrediting agencies that decide which colleges can access federal student aid. Public comments close September 21, 2026, through regulations.gov.
Why the department says it's acting
The department says accrediting agencies function as gatekeepers to more than $100 billion in federal student aid each year, with a small number of accreditors dominating the sector. Under Secretary Nicholas Kent said in the department's announcement: 'The antiquated accreditation system has contributed to inflated tuition, administrative bloat, and ideology-driven mandates on college campuses.' The rule is built on Executive Order 14279.
What would change
- Colleges could switch between accreditors, or hold accreditation from more than one, without the extensive justification currently required.
- Geographic restrictions that limited which accreditors a college could use would be removed.
- The 'two-year rule' that new accrediting agencies must clear before getting initial recognition would be eliminated, lowering the barrier for new accreditors to form.
- Colleges would need to give written explanations when they deny a transfer student's credits.
- Colleges would need to disclose program costs and scope more clearly before students enroll.
- Accreditors would face new conflict-of-interest rules separating them from affiliated trade associations, plus neutrality requirements on institutional viewpoint and ideology.
What happens next
The proposal is not final. It's open for public comment through September 21, 2026, after which the department can revise it before issuing a final rule. Colleges, accreditors and student groups are expected to weigh in before that deadline.
Sources
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Meridians Life Desk is an editorial desk at Meridians, not an individual. A desk byline means the article was produced and fact-checked to that desk's published standards. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy.
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