The Department of Education (ED) on Nov. 1 published its
final regulations on accreditation and state authorization distance education, the result of a negotiated rulemaking session earlier this year. That rulemaking panel, which included ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle, was able to reach consensus.
The rules are meant to ease the process for accreditors to earn federal recognition as well as allow new accreditors to gain that status. When the draft rules were published in June, ACE believed that on balance, they would give both ED and accreditors some flexibility and provide important protections for students, while not fundamentally altering the higher education regulatory framework.
The regulations will go into effect in July 2020.
The House Education and Labor Committee voted to pass a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the primary law that governs the relationship between the federal government, colleges and universities, and students.