The U.S. Department of Education is requesting public comments on a new plan to overhaul accreditation systems for postsecondary education in America, looking to lower costs and eliminate woke ideology.
President Donald Trump originally issued an executive order with proposals on this topic back in April 2025. The Trump administration objects to a very small group of accreditors being gatekeepers for around $100 billion in taxpayer money for higher education, and they “have also abused their enormous authority” by refusing to use meritocratic standards in assessing quality education.
Many universities are providing low-quality education, with around 25% of bachelor’s degrees and 40% of master’s degrees having a negative return on investment. Furthermore, the six-year undergraduate graduation rate in 2020 was 64%, the executive order stated. Obviously, something is very wrong with higher education, so the Trump administration proposed student-oriented accreditation standards and greater accountability for accreditors violating the law.
Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent explained, “At a time when Americans have lost trust in higher education, the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the accreditation system are intended to reorient our quality assurance framework so that accreditors prioritize student outcomes rather than bureaucratic processes or the promotion of divisive and unlawful ideological agendas.”
The public comment period for these particular regulations will end on September 21. So if you wish to provide any input as a taxpayer and a citizen, please use the link above. The Trump administration is trying to break up accreditation monopolies that have prioritized ideology over quality and DEI over merit.
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As Kent put it, “Instead of ensuring institutions offer high-quality educational programs that justify the time and cost of a college education, the antiquated accreditation system has contributed to inflated tuition, administrative bloat, and ideology-driven mandates on college campuses. The Department’s proposed changes to our higher education quality assurance system will improve college affordability, reconnect education to workforce needs, strengthen accountability, and restore confidence in our accreditation system.”
Besides reforming accreditation standards, the Trump administration also wants to open the field for emerging accreditors who are trying to break the monopolies’ hold.
The Department of Education stated:
The proposed rule implements the significant reforms outlined in President Trump’s Executive Order 14279, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education. Additionally, this proposed rule builds on a series of actions by the Trump Administration to reform America’s higher education accreditation system, expand opportunity, and ensure accreditors prioritize student outcomes.
We all know that higher education in this country does not deserve the name. There is a crying need for reform at every level. Accreditation standards overhaul is a good start, but just a start.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to renew America this 250th birthday year.
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