Accreditors ensure the health of academic programming, finances, free inquiry and other components of college campuses. They are also the gatekeepers of federal Title IV student aid funding, but they must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an association, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Seven regional accreditors exist that previously could only approve institutions within a certain geographical range. This changed during the Trump administration, which in 2019 issued a new regulation eliminating those boundaries. The Education Department also loosened accreditors’ compliance standards, spurring criticism that it weakened the accreditation system.
