Higher-education leaders are gearing up for a new proposed accreditation rule expected to move from comment period to revision, with advocates urging the Department of Education to preserve what is working in accreditor oversight. The commentary highlights how the negotiated rulemaking process can be revisited before a final rule is published, warning that consensus language is not guaranteed to survive. It also urges accreditors and institutions to scrutinize the proposal’s potential cost, intrusiveness, and downstream policy “mischief,” arguing that stakeholders should actively shape what the rule ultimately requires.