Federal officials have launched a negotiated‑rulemaking effort to overhaul the higher education accreditation system, moving to ease entry for new accreditors and to remove existing diversity, equity and inclusion standards. The Department of Education announced the initiative after Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent publicly criticized accreditors at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) conference, arguing they failed to hold colleges accountable. The administration plans to push procedural changes that could lower barriers for alternative accreditors and shift oversight responsibilities; sources at CHEA and the Education Department say the work will be complex and contentious. Negotiated rulemaking is a formal, multi‑party process in which stakeholders sit at the table with the agency to draft regulatory language. Accreditors, academic leaders and state officials are already debating the potential impacts: proponents say the rewrite could spur innovation and new providers, while critics worry it will weaken independent quality review and invite politicized oversight. The outcome will shape federal funding rules, transferability of credits and the baseline for institutional accountability across U.S. colleges.