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The Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) committee will convene for two five-day sessions in April and May to develop proposed regulations implementing President Donald Trump's vision for accreditation reform, according to a notice published in the Federal Register.
The move represents the Trump administration's most comprehensive effort yet to overhaul a system the president has called his "secret weapon" for reshaping higher education. Accreditors serve as gatekeepers for billions in federal student aid, and institutions cannot participate in Title IV programs such as Pell Grants and federal student loans without their approval.
"Accreditation functions as the central nervous system of higher education, and the system cannot be made healthy without addressing its deepest flaws," said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent.
The proposed regulations would address four key areas: deregulation to allow easier entry for new accreditors; refocusing quality standards on "data-driven student outcomes" rather than what the department characterized as "unlawful DEI-based standards"; ensuring accreditor standards comply with federal civil rights laws and prohibit "discrimination on the basis of immutable characteristics, such as race-based scholarships"; and strengthening separation between accrediting agencies and related trade associations.
The committee will also examine "the extent to which accreditation contributes to rising higher education costs and credential inflation" and work to eliminate standards the administration considers ideologically driven, according to the announcement.
The rulemaking effort builds on executive actions Trump took after returning to office in 2025. In April, he signed Executive Order 14279 directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to make it easier for colleges to switch accreditors. The department subsequently lifted a Biden-era moratorium on reviewing applications for new accreditors and revoked 2022 guidance that had outlined a more stringent process for institutions changing accrediting agencies.
