The U.S. Department of Education finalized new accreditation standards on Oct. 30 that require reviews of colleges’ academic freedom and intellectual-diversity practices, affecting access to federal student aid.
Accreditation helps determine whether students can receive federal aid at a college. The Department said more than $100 billion in Pell Grants and federal student loans is provided each year. As of Oct. 1, it recognized 50 accrediting agencies: 34 for institutions and 16 for specific programs.
The new rule requires accreditors to examine policies and practices related to academic freedom and intellectual diversity. A policy must support intellectual diversity and open exchange among faculty, address intellectual inquiry and student learning, and include measures of how students and faculty perceive the viewpoints and perspectives offered by an institution or program. For institutions or programs with a religious mission, the inquiry and learning elements must align with that mission; the requirement to measure perceptions does not apply.
The Department says institutions may shape their own policies and are not required to adopt a prescribed one. Lacking a formal policy alone does not establish noncompliance, but accreditors must consider relevant policies and practices in light of their existing standards and the institution’s mission. Agencies with standards on these issues must apply them consistently.
Accreditors must also consider student achievement, including course completion, state licensing or certification exam results where applicable, and job placement, as appropriate to their standards. The rule lowers barriers for new accreditors and eases the process for colleges to switch agencies. The Department says it expects these changes to encourage competition and reduce costs, though it cannot reliably estimate the scale of those benefits. Its analysis says students may gain more educational options and lower prices, while accrediting agencies will bear costs. The Department estimates each institutional accrediting agency will need 352 labor hours to update processes, data collection and reporting, with an average annual burden of $35,404.
President Donald Trump’s April 23, 2025, executive order directed the Education secretary to promote intellectual diversity among faculty, resume recognition of new accreditors and streamline changes between agencies. Trump had called the accreditation system a “secret weapon” in a May 2, 2023, campaign video.
NPR reported that Bob Shireman, an accreditation expert and former Obama Education Department official, said the rule gives the department authority to “meddle in the internal affairs” of colleges and universities. The Education Department told NPR the rule does not authorize it to police speech.
Accreditors may choose to begin applying the rule Jan. 1, 2027, but colleges cannot face new requirements before its July 1 effective date.
