Federal officials signaled a major rewrite of higher education accreditation rules and a sharper public critique of accrediting bodies. The Department of Education launched negotiated-rulemaking aimed at easing market entry for new accreditors and removing some DEI-related standards, while Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent publicly faulted accreditors at CHEA for failing to hold colleges accountable. The moves would shift oversight dynamics between the feds, accreditors and institutions, prompting concerns among some university leaders and accreditors about independence and the scope of federal leverage.