The Education Department issued rules and timeline changes this week designed to lower barriers for new accreditation agencies to win federal recognition. Agency guidance shortens the review window to under a year and clarifies that applicant organizations must demonstrate two years of accrediting activity before petitioning the department. Officials framed the move as a strategy to break up a “stagnant” market and force accreditors to focus on workforce outcomes and graduation rates. Legacy accreditors have warned the change could spur “accreditor shopping,” while some governors and state leaders have applauded it as a lever to force curricular and compliance change. Colleges evaluating new accreditors now face the prospect of faster transitions and a more competitive accreditor marketplace.