“A real overhaul is long overdue,” said Michael B. Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a nonpartisan group that typically endorses conservative views and has long argued for greater restrictions on accreditors’ oversight. “We can get to the point where the educational options are wholesome for everybody instead of one where students are incentivized to go into programs where they are not likely to succeed.”
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Accrediting agencies are tasked with providing a level of quality assurance for higher education. With an accreditor’s stamp of approval, colleges unlock access to billions of dollars in Title IV funding—federal loans, grants, and campus-based aid. Unfortunately, accreditors do not consistently deliver on their role and fail to hold institutions accountable for poor student outcomes.
In a campaign video during his most recent run for the presidency, President Trump called the college accreditation system his “secret weapon” in his plan to reshape higher education.
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