Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: The Secretary's Recognition of Accrediting Agencies: Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended, Student Assistance General Provisions

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Education 34 CFR Parts 600, 602, and 668 [Docket ID ED-2025-OPE-1042] RIN 1840-AD82 ( printed page 53940) AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). SUMMARY: The Department proposes to revise the existing accrediting agency recognition regulations at 34 CFR part 602 to implement the directives set forth in Executive Order 14279 , Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, and other Administration priorities, align the regulations more closely with statute, and reduce regulatory burden. DATES: We must receive your comments on or before September 21, 2026. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at regulations.gov. The Department will not accept comments submitted by fax or by email or comments submitted after the comment period closes. To ensure that the Department does not receive duplicate copies, please submit your comment only once. Additionally, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments. Pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act at 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(4) , a plain language summary of the rule is available at regulations.gov . Information on using Regulations.gov , including instructions for submitting comments, is available on the site under “FAQ.” If you require an accommodation or cannot otherwise submit your comments via Regulations.gov , please contact regulationshelpdesk@gsa.gov or by phone at 1-866-498-2945. If yo…