(GEN-25-03) Changes to the Approval Process for Changing Accrediting Agencies
May 1, 2025
Dear Colleague:
Currently, 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 all materials relating to the prior accreditation and materials demonstrating reasonable cause for changing the accrediting agency to the Secretary. The Department has implemented this statutory requirement via 34 CFR § 600.11, which requires an institution to provide all materials related to its prior accreditation or preaccreditation and materials demonstrating reasonable cause for changing its accrediting agency (or having multiple accrediting agencies), so that the Department can provide approval of the switching or adding of the accrediting agencies. The law and regulation do not dictate a robust or onerous process for receiving the Department’s approval for a change in accrediting agencies or maintaining multiple accreditation. Therefore, consistent with statutory and regulatory obligations, the Department will conduct expeditious review of applications received except in rare cases where an institution lacks a reasonable cause for making a change.
