Stakeholders negotiating sweeping amendments to federal accreditation regulations proposed by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will begin their final session to achieve consensus on May 18, 2026.
A week-long effort in April revealed deep divisions among negotiators on the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Committee of the ED. Debates broke out over the ED’s “material error” and “safety valve” provisions, First Amendment compliance and separate-and-independent requirements — so much so that negotiators expressed doubt that consensus on all issues will be reached in the final round starting Monday.
Whether negotiators reach consensus or not, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will follow, and affected parties should pay attention to the negotiating record to inform their comment strategy. Read on to learn more about the ED’s proposed amendments, the negotiators’ initial responses to the proposed amendments and the likely outcome of the final session.
Read on to learn more about the ED’s proposed amendments, the negotiators’ initial responses to the proposed amendments and the likely outcome of the final session.