The Department of Education is directing millions in grants toward organizations and colleges that plan to switch accreditors, a program that has already awarded funds to several established actors and a few groups with little accreditor experience. Recipients include entities seeking to help campuses change oversight bodies as federal accountability standards shift. The awards are part of a broader federal push to reshape accreditation and expand alternative quality-assurance mechanisms. Some higher‑ed leaders welcomed new funding for innovation; others warned that inexperienced entrants could complicate regulatory compliance and risk student protections. Observers say the program could accelerate institutional moves between regional and national accreditors, with implications for financial aid access, transferability of credits and regulatory oversight. Colleges considering a switch must now weigh the federal incentives against the administrative and compliance costs of reorganizing accreditation relationships.