The Trump administration unveiled sweeping proposed changes to how accrediting agencies are overseen, including requirements tied to student achievement benchmarks, cost efficiency, and protection of viewpoint diversity. The Education Department’s draft would also direct accreditors to keep out of institutional governance decisions that are reserved for states, boards of trustees, and similar governing bodies. Under the proposal, accrediting bodies would be required to ensure colleges comply with federal laws including prohibitions on preferential treatment tied to protected characteristics. Administration officials are also moving to make it easier for new accreditors to gain federal recognition, a change likely to intensify scrutiny around quality assurance and federal student-aid access. The rule-making process will involve an advisory committee reviewing revisions in two rounds of weeklong meetings beginning April 13, followed by public comment. The changes are expected to feed an ongoing sector debate over whether accreditors should adopt bright-line metrics for performance or retain a holistic evaluation model. Separately, a federal judge blocked a Trump administration effort in 17 states aimed at forcing public colleges to submit admissions data intended to show institutions are not considering race. In granting a preliminary injunction, the court said the submission timeline was rushed and “arbitrary and capricious,” even while acknowledging the department generally had authority to collect such data.