July 27, 2022
Changing Guidance on Accreditation
The Department of Education recently published a series of documents clarifying the process they must adhere to when seeking to switch accrediting agencies, which must be approved by the Department before an application to switch has been submitted. The series includes a listing of some of the factors the Department may consider in evaluating institutions that aim to switch accrediting agencies, and document outlining how accrediting agencies should demonstrate that they meet the long-standing requirements. To learn more about the Department’s reasoning for the guidance, you can check out their recently published blog post.
Regulatory Updates
Yesterday, the Department of Education released several proposed regulations that are set to be officially published later this week regarding for-profit institutions and Second Chance Pell. These proposed regulations are scheduled to be published on the Federal Register tomorrow, July 28 and will then open for public comment for 30 days.
Currently, for-profit institutions must obtain at least 10 percent of their revenue from non-federal sources, this is known as the 90/10 Rule. But the current rule mostly applies to HEA Title IV funds from the Department of Education. The new proposed regulation will no longer allow for-profit institutions to use federal aid for veterans and service members awarded by the Department of Defense to meet the required 10 percent revenue test. This action would close the “90/10 loophole.” The Department also released proposed regulations strengthening the requirements for institutions undergoing changes in ownership transactions. The regulations expand protections for students and taxpayers during these changes in ownership.
To review the unofficial copy of this form click here, this link will also serve as the regulation's landing page starting tomorrow.
The proposed regulations regarding Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals aim to clarifying requirements for prison educational programs; ensuring oversight entities fairly assess institutions' eligibility to offer prison education programs based on the best interests of the students; and ensuring transparency and data to measure how effective the programs are at serving their students.
To review the unofficial copy of this form click here, this link will also serve as the regulation's landing page starting tomorrow.
If your institution is interested in establishing a program for incarcerated students after July 2023, ACCT encourages you to submit comments to the Department on the proposed rule. Once the proposal is officially published, comments can be submitted at regulations.gov with the docket ID included. Comments can be submitted directly in the form or as a Microsoft word attachment. If submitted as PDF, the Department encourages submissions to be done as “print-to-PDF” format and not as “scan to PDF.” Comments could include proposed changes or letters of support.
For more information on these proposed regulations please see the Department's press release and fact sheet.
Dates & Deadline Reminders:
- August 15 - deadline to apply for the Modeling and Simulation Program Grant
- September 3 - deadline to apply for the SNAP E&T National Partnership Grants
- October 25 - deadline to apply for third round of funding for SCCTG
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