The Trump administration released a draft proposal to overhaul accreditation rules and set new expectations for student achievement, viewpoint diversity, and cost efficiency. The Education Department says advisory committees will consider revisions in April, with the changes remaining subject to public comment before any final rulemaking. The proposal would also make it easier for new accreditors to obtain federal recognition and would direct accrediting agencies to ensure colleges comply with federal law, including prohibitions on preferential treatment tied to protected characteristics. Officials also signal that accreditors should not interfere with institutional governance decisions reserved for state boards of trustees and similar bodies. Advocates are likely to view the student-achievement minimum standards as a significant shift in accountability—potentially reviving long-running disputes over whether accreditors should move beyond holistic reviews to establish bright-line metrics for program and institutional quality.