The U.S. Department of Education announced the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) negotiated rulemaking committee to draft regulations that would simplify accreditor recognition, examine accreditation’s role in credential inflation, restrict undue influence from related trade groups, and reform transfer and student‑outcome policies. The AIM committee is set to convene multi‑day sessions in April and May and the department invited nominations for negotiators. The process comes alongside a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking affecting student‑loan repayment and Workforce Pell quality assurance. If finalized, the accreditation changes could reshape accountability, transfer pathways and how institutions demonstrate quality to maintain Title IV eligibility. CHEA and campus leaders are preparing to engage, noting the rulemaking’s potential to change institutional compliance expectations and federal oversight. Institutions should consider submitting nominations and comments; the rulemaking’s outputs will affect institutional reporting, program approvals and the relationship between accreditors and the federal government.