A federal incentive program is directing millions to organizations and campuses that agree to change accreditors, a rapid policy shift that could redraw the regulatory map for colleges. The awards include recipients with little prior accreditation experience, raising questions about oversight and capacity as institutions consider new accreditation pathways. Separately, a Department of Education advisory panel voted to approve a new earnings test for programs that qualify students for federal aid; one member abstained, warning that blocking consensus could jeopardize protections for undergraduate certificate students. Together these moves signal accelerated federal pressure to tie institutional recognition and student aid to measurable post‑college outcomes. Institutions should expect closer scrutiny of program performance, new paperwork burdens for accreditors and the prospect of financial incentives shaping accreditation choices.