The U.S. Department of Education announced a formal push to rewrite accreditation regulations, signaling faster recognition for new accreditors and explicit limits on diversity, equity and inclusion standards. Officials circulated a Federal Register notice outlining plans to ease market entry for accreditors while curbing DEI-related review criteria, a move the agency says will increase accountability and competition among quality-assurance bodies. The proposal comes amid sustained White House scrutiny of higher‑education norms and follows months of ED briefings on accreditor performance. Agency sources framed the change as an effort to expand pathways for alternative providers and vocational programs; critics warn it could weaken a longstanding safeguard used by colleges to secure federal financial aid. The Education Department will accept public comments before finalizing the rule. Higher‑education associations have flagged potential downstream effects on institutional quality assurance and federal oversight of Title IV funds. Campus leaders will need to monitor implementation timing and whether the rule includes transitional protections for students and ongoing federal grants.