The Education Department has publicly flagged accreditors as a priority for reform, signaling interest in tighter oversight of the higher‑education quality‑assurance system the administration calls a potential lever for broader change. Reporting indicates department officials are evaluating structural changes to accreditation and positioning the effort as central to the administration’s higher‑education agenda. Accreditors and university leaders are watching for concrete rule‑making or enforcement actions; legal experts warn that any push to reconfigure accreditation could prompt litigation and reverberate through federal student‑aid eligibility and institutional governance.