Trump’s Vision for College Accreditation Could Shake Up the Sector

Eric Kelderman

November 26, 2024

Overhauling higher-education accreditation could be on the agenda for conservative lawmakers and policy mavens now that Donald J. Trump has been re-elected president.

Trump and his allies have floated a number of changes, such as barring accreditors from requiring that colleges adhere to diversity, equity, and inclusion standards. Republicans have also proposed creating new accrediting agencies that promote conservative values and allowing state governments to take on the role of accreditors.

Colleges have to be accredited for their students to be eligible for federal student aid, such as loans issued by the Education Department and Pell Grants for students from low-income families. That role as a gatekeeper of federal dollars has put accreditors in the crosshairs of groups across the ideological spectrum that see the organizations as a barrier to change and improvement.

Project 2025, a policy wishlist written by a constellation of conservative groups that support Trump, described accreditation reviews as “wildly expensive audits by academic ‘peers’ that stifle innovation and discourage new institutions of higher education.”

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