(GEN-22-10) Guidance for Institutions Seeking to Change or Add Accrediting Agencies

Federal Student Aid

July 19, 2022
DCL ID
GEN-22-10
SUBJECT
Guidance for Institutions Seeking to Change or Add Accrediting Agencies
SUMMARY
The Department has recently received several inquiries regarding the standards and procedures for an institution seeking to change its primary accrediting agency or obtain multiple accreditations. The purpose of this announcement is to reiterate the statutory and regulatory standards and to provide examples of factors Federal Student Aid (FSA) may consider in determining whether an institution has provided sufficient materials demonstrating reasonable cause for changing or adding an accrediting agency.

Please note that companion DCL ID GEN-22-11, dated July 19, 2022, describes the procedures institutions must follow to change or add an accrediting agency.

Dear Colleague:

Under section 496(h) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1099b(h)), an institution seeking to change its accrediting agency must submit to FSA all materials relating to the prior accreditation and materials demonstrating reasonable cause for changing the accrediting agency. This requirement helps prevent an erosion of accrediting agency standards and provides critical protections for students and taxpayers by ensuring that institutions do not switch accrediting agencies simply to evade accountability, avoid open inquiries, or seek approval from an agency with less rigorous or easier-to-meet standards.

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