Details Released for Negotiated Rulemaking on Accreditation

In January, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced its intent to establish the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) negotiating rulemaking committee. The committee was tasked with developing proposed regulations on a variety of accreditor-related topics, such as simplifying ED’s regulations for recognition and review of accrediting agencies and revising ED’s criteria and regulations for accrediting agencies to emphasize student achievement and outcomes standards. The committee is set to meet for two weeklong sessions this spring: April 13–17 and May 18–22, 2026. The committee will convene daily from 9 am – 4 pm ET during those weeks.

The Council of Recognized Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC) encourages stakeholders to register to watch the first session of negotiations here and review the Initial Draft Regulations for Discussion, the Summary and Discussion of Initial Draft Regulations, and the Committee Member List that ED released earlier this week. As previously announced, Dr. Heather F. Perfetti, Chair of C-RAC and President of Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), will serve as the alternate negotiator representing institutional accreditors recognized by the Secretary of Education.

All materials related to the AIM Committee can be found on ED’s website, and the list of materials available will continue to grow as the sessions take place.