The good, the bad, and the vague in the new college accreditation rule

Michael Hurley
Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)

Last week, the Department of Education finalized new regulations governing federally recognized accrediting organizations. These private agencies serve as quality-assurance gatekeepers for more than $100 billion in annual federal student aid, making their standards deeply influential over institutional policy. The department’s new regulations could therefore substantially alter institutional policies, including free expression policies.

The regulations change the equation by establishing more detailed expectations concerning faculty policies, academic freedom, free expression, and intellectual diversity—in some ways for better and in some ways for worse.

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