The U.S. Department of Education issued final regulations describing how short-term programs can qualify for the new Workforce Pell program, which was created through federal legislation last year. The rule sets a state-level initial approval process and includes standards tied to student outcomes for programs as short as eight weeks. The Department also reached consensus language in negotiated rulemaking on new accreditation regulations. Officials say the updates are intended to lower barriers for recognizing new accreditors, reduce accreditation costs, promote intellectual diversity, and prevent accreditors from sharing resources with trade associations tied to licensure, while critics argue some measures may affect academic freedom. Separate from the Workforce Pell rulemaking, the Education Department is facing litigation over changes to student lending caps. A coalition of 20-plus states and education and professional associations challenge the Department’s definition of “professional degrees,” which would limit eligibility for a new higher aggregate federal loan limit. In addition, the Department said it is funding a new competition using discretionary money previously intended for minority-serving institutions (MSIs). The stated focus includes workforce readiness, artificial intelligence initiatives, and short-term programs, as the Department continues to work around legal disputes over MSI funding redirection.