This bill has advanced since we wrote our summary.
Current stage on Congress.gov: Reported in House.
Colleges currently use one of a handful of federally recognized accreditors to get certified to participate in student loan programs. This bill would let states designate their own accreditors—including industry-specific quality groups like manufacturing or healthcare associations—to certify that colleges in their state meet education standards. It also adds new requirements for accreditors to track student outcomes like completion rates, how much graduates earn, and loan repayment rates. Religious colleges would get stronger protections: accreditors couldn't penalize them for faith-based policies on housing, employment, or admissions. The bill streamlines the accreditation approval process from six months to 30 days, and requires accreditors to use risk-based review, meaning lower-risk institutions face fewer compliance burdens while higher-risk ones get closer scrutiny.
Congressional Summary
This bill revises the accreditation process for reviewing the quality of education offered by institutions of higher education (IHEs).Under current law, an IHE seeking to participate in many federal programs (e.g., federal student aid programs) must be accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education (ED) as a reliable authority on the quality of the education being offered at the IHE. An ED-recognized accrediting agency must meet various provisions under the Higher Education Act of 1965 and in regulations.Under this bill, states may designate an entity (e.g., an industry-specific quality assurance entity) as an accrediting agency for programs or IHEs in the state. The bill outlines the requirements for the state to submit a plan to ED and for ED to respond to the plan. Additionally, the bill provides an accelerated path to recognition by authorizing ED to recognize new accrediting agencies within two years of their application. ED must convene a panel of experts to develop common terminology for accrediting agencies to use in making accrediting decisions and publish those recommendations.Further, the bill (1) requires accrediting agencies to establish specified standards for measures assessing student success (e.g., labor market outcomes), and (2) requires accrediting agencies to establish procedures for assessing compliance with agency standards that reflect an IHE's risk of losing accreditation.The bill reauthorizes through September 30, 2028, and revises the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which advises ED on matters related to accreditation.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 360.
- Action Date
- 2025-12-18
- Date Added
- 2026-04-10
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.