ED Releases Accreditation “Dear Colleague” Letter
The Department of Education (ED) has announced plans to speed
up the process for institutions seeking to change their accrediting agencies,
as outlined in a recent “Dear Colleague” letter. The “Dear Colleague” letter
clarifies the process for institutions seeking to change or add accrediting agencies.
The guidance stresses the Department’s limited role, which is to ensure compliance
without expanding its authority and to promote institutional flexibility, all
while adhering to the Higher Education Act. This move aligns with a broader
shift in federal oversight following a new executive order from the Trump administration aimed at reforming
accreditation. The order criticized accrediting bodies that include diversity,
equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements in their standards and aimed to make it
easier for colleges to switch accreditors or for new accrediting agencies to gain federal recognition.
In compliance with this executive order, ED has lifted a
moratorium previously imposed by the Biden administration that had paused the
review of new accreditor applications. With this reversal, the Department will
no longer closely examine an institution’s reasons for changing accreditors.
The updated guidance allows colleges to switch accreditors
for several reasons, such as alignment with religious values, compliance with
state laws, if there is a shift in the type of academic programs offered, or opposition
to required DEI policies viewed as discriminatory. The letter outlines specific
circumstances under which the ED may deny a change in accrediting agency—namely,
if the institution has experienced accreditation revocation or disciplinary action
within the past 24 months. However, exceptions are possible if the accrediting
body failed to provide due process, applied standards inconsistently or penalized
an institution for adhering to its stated mission, including religious values.
Additionally, if the Department does not respond to a complete
application to switch accreditors within 30 days, the change will be automatically
approved unless specifically prohibited. This new approach aims to reduce federal
interference in institutional decision-making and to encourage more competition in the accreditor marketplace.