CHEA Advocacy in Action: Issue 5

May 28, 2024

CHEA, as an advocate for member institutions, consistently identifies political issues that may be impactful for accreditation and institutions. The brief below reflects one of those issues.

Issue Summary

Accreditation, a pillar of our higher education system, is facing a barrage of challenges. The U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) negotiated rulemaking, presidential candidates advocating for the removal of all current accreditors, states demanding that institutions change accreditors, and the U.S. House of Representatives moving forward on a series of legislative proposals, including the College Cost Reduction Act, H.R. 6951. These efforts, if successful, will significantly alter how higher education institutions and accrediting organizations measure quality.

Institutional Impact

While primarily focusing on cost reduction, the College Cost Reduction Act, H.R. 6951, proposes more than 20 changes to higher education accreditation and the way institutions exhibit and accreditors measure quality. If these proposals are enacted, institutions will need to change how they prepare for accreditation visits and how they report to accrediting organizations.
 
Institutional requests to change accrediting organizations and the Department of Education’s decisions on those requests may take up to a year or longer to approve. This lengthy process delays the institution’s efforts to apply to a new accreditor, even when mandated by the state. This is a concern, and having a statutory provision that allows institutions to change accreditors without department approval is so important. 

CHEA's Position

CHEA asserts that accreditation is best managed by institutions. Despite the recommended changes in the College Cost Reduction Act, there is still much work to be done, particularly as to who can be placed on accrediting commissions and other related issues. The proposed changes identified below will help ensure that institutions retain control of accreditation.

CHEA's Action

CHEA met with the author of the accreditation section of the bill to review the accreditations provisions. Several CHEA recommendations were submitted to the Education Committee for inclusion in the legislation. The following recommendations were included in the bill:

  • Permits institutions or programs not under sanction to change accreditors without the approval of the U.S. Secretary of Education, including when it is directed by state law.
  • Permits institutions to retain dual accreditation without USDE prior approval. 
  • Requires an accreditor to apply standards that respect an institution’s mission, including a religious mission. Accreditors must base their decisions only on their standards of accreditation.
  • The bill narrows the function of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity to only the functions listed in its Charter and its statute.

If enacted, these changes in the law’s accreditation provisions would constitute a major shift for students, institutions, and accreditors.

CHEA is continuing to work with the authors of this legislation to change provisions that are not useful or beneficial for institutional accreditation.

Council for Higher Education Accreditation serves its members, students and society through advocacy for the value and independence of accreditation, recognition of accrediting organizations and commitment to quality in higher education.