Reforming Accreditation To Strengthen Higher Education

Purpose of the Executive Order:

• Address issues with higher education accreditors' performance in ensuring quality education for colleges and universities.
• Recognize the accreditors' failure to prioritize student outcomes and their tendency to impose discriminatory practices under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) standards.

Concerns Raised:

• Accreditors have endorsed low-quality institutions despite low graduation rates (64% in 2020) and poor return on investment for students.
• Some accredited programs contribute to significant student debt without adequate earning potential for graduates.
• Accreditors focus on promoting DEI standards that may lead to unlawful discrimination, interfering with local governance.

Specific Examples of Discriminatory Standards:

• American Bar Association (ABA): Requires law schools to demonstrate commitment to diversity, violating Supreme Court rulings.
• Liaison Committee on Medical Education: Mandates diversity in student recruitment, diverting focus from quality medical education.

Actions Ordered:

• Accountability Measures:
  • Secretary of Education to hold accreditors accountable for failing to meet federal recognition criteria or for requiring unlawful discrimination.
  • Attorney General and Secretary of Education to investigate and act against discriminatory accreditation requirements.

Reforms to Accreditation:

• Ensure accreditation focuses on high-quality education and does not involve unlawful discrimination.
• Facilitate intellectual diversity, reduce barriers to new educational models, and prevent unnecessary credential inflation.
• Resume recognizing new accreditors for increased competition and accountability, ensuring use of program-level student outcomes data without bias.

Implementation:

• Consistent application of the order within legal frameworks and availability of resources.
• Emphasize transparency and efficiency in the accreditation process while allowing institutions flexibility in changing accreditors.

Clarifications:

• The order does not impair existing legal authority or create enforceable rights against the United States or its entities.