Defending Ed Files Public Comment in Support of Reforming College Accrediting Agencies

Defending Education filed a public comment this week with the U.S. Department of Education in support of a proposed rule that would overhaul how the federal government oversees college accrediting agencies. Accreditors act as gatekeepers to federal financial aid which gives them enormous leverage over what colleges teach and who they hire.

Our comment argues that accrediting agencies have used that leverage to impose ideological requirements on institutions. The Council on Social Work Education, for example, requires that faculty “model anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice” as a condition of program accreditation. The American Bar Association required law schools to demonstrate a “commitment to diversity and inclusion” in their student body, faculty, and staff. It also required all law students to receive instruction on “bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism” at both the start and end of their program. 

The proposed rule would require accrediting agencies to evaluate institutions based on viewpoint-neutral standards, prohibit agencies from maintaining standards that compel race-based preferences, and ensure that accreditor decisions themselves are free from ideological bias. We urge the Department to finalize the rule as proposed.

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