October 29,  2026

Leading the News this Week

Registration for the 2027 National Legislative Summit (NLS) is officially open! From Sunday, February 7 to Wednesday, February 10, 2027, NLS welcomes community college trustees, presidents, students, and other stakeholders to Washington, D.C., to engage in advocacy with Members of Congress; network with community college leaders across the country; and learn the latest on higher education policy. 

With at least 78 new members of Congress starting in January, you don't want to miss out on the opportunity to guide your lawmakers in championing policies that strengthen our institutions.  

Register HERE

Read on for top federal news affecting community colleges.

News in Higher Education

Department of Education Releases Final Accreditation Rule

Today, the Department of Education (ED) finalized the rule on accreditation. This final rule features the following:

• Institutions must disclose credit transfer policies, "adopt consistent criteria for evaluating comparable credits, and prohibit discriminatory denials." Those that elect to deny transfer credits must give a written explanation to the student with a cost estimate to retake the courses. Students have 15 days to appeal this decision. Institutions must add a student consumer disclosure that informs students and prospective students of the timeline they must submit their transcripts if trying to transfer credit. The review of credits "must conclude prior to the student’s enrollment, registration, or making a nonrefundable financial commitment." ACCT supported this proposal
• Eliminate the two-year rule to gain initial recognition, along with unnecessary documentation and site visits.
• "Shift institutions’ and programs’ focus towards cost-effective practices.”
• Require accreditors to implement measures of student and institutional performance such as completion rates and economic returns. ACCT pushed back on this proposal; this is not an accreditation issue but instead an issue due to the lack of access to data
• Require accreditors to remove any geographic restrictions or constraints.
• Prohibit colleges and universities from engaging in preferential treatment, hiring, and promotion based on protected characteristics.
• Require accreditors to be neutral in viewpoint and ideology and clarify expectations for "reviewing student achievement and faculty-related policies, including academic freedom and intellectual diversity.“ ACCT stated that accreditation is not the proper tool to achieve this goal.

Click here for more on ACCT's submitted comments on this rule.

The rule is set to take effect July 1, 2027. However, for accreditation bodies that wish to implement the final rules sooner, they can do so as early as January 1, 2027, so long as they do not impose new requirements on institutions or programs before July 1, 2027.

ACCT Opposes Proposed Changes to the U.S. Census

In September 2026, the Trump Administration proposed to change the U.S. Census to exclude undocumented immigrants and some other legal noncitizen residents from being counted in the survey. ACCT, along with the American Council of Education and other 17 higher education groups, participated in the public comment period in which we collectively urged the Census Bureau to withdraw the proposal. The proposal will negatively impact higher education, which relies on the data collected by the Census to make evidence-based decisions. In addition, we pointed out that the exclusion of some legal noncitizen residents from the count could have an impact on gauging the number of international students and faculty on H-1B visas. 

Judge Rules in Favor of the Trump Administration's Anti-DEI Order

A federal judge ruled on October 15th that the Trump administration's March executive order, which aims to cancel or suspend federal contracts that include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) language, can stand. The ruling affirmed that this executive order only prohibits discrimination that is already illegal, providing the plaintiffs in this case clarity.  

The Trump Administration Drops Appeal on Public Service Loan Forgiveness Rule

On October 21, 2026, the Trump administration dropped the appeals of its finalized Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Last year, the Trump administration finalized a rule to change the PSLF program to prohibit employees of organizations from qualifying for PSLF if the organization's work is deemed illegal by the administration. Since then, the rule has undergone litigation, which resulted in two judges blocking the rule before it was ever in effect. Legal experts say that for now the rule is dead, but it is possible the administration could limit PSLF beneficiaries through a different mechanism, such as "proposing an amended version of the rule within ED or another agency."   

Snapshots

1. Report: Preliminary Fall Enrollment Trends (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center). For Fall 2026, community colleges and primarily associate-degree-granting baccalaureate institutions (PABs) have seen enrollment increase by 1.2%, outperforming other sectors.

2. Secretary McMahon Remarks on Restoring Public Trust in Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education)

3. House Education and Workforce Committee Democrats Release Report on Addressing Barriers to College Graduation (U.S. House of Representatives)

This Fall: Invite Your Members of Congress to Campus!

ACCT's Toolkit to Host Congressional Visits

During this year’s long congressional state work periods in September and October, congressional lawmakers return to their home states and districts to engage with their constituents and to pitch the many accomplishments they have made throughout the congressional session. Community college leaders have an optimal opportunity to establish, strengthen, or renew relationships with the lawmakers that represent their campuses and advocate for community college legislative priorities.

Take a look at ACCT’s new Toolkit on How to Host Your Member of Congress, which offers strategies to strengthen relationships with congressional lawmakers. On ACCT Now, read the blog, Community College Advocacy Continues All Year Round: Invite Your Member of Congress to Meet Back Home!

Remember -- you can use this time to:

• Invite your Member of Congress to visit your community college.
• Meet your Member of Congress at the congressional district office.
• Attend a congressional town hall, parade, BBQ, or other event that features your Member of Congress.
• Host a nonpartisan candidate forum, town hall, or tour with your Member of Congress or candidates seeking election for that congressional seat. If you invite a candidate that is not yet in office, you must invite all candidates for that seat and provide equal time, without endorsement.
• Invite your Member of Congress to speak at a program graduation or annual commencement.

Please contact the ACCT Government Relations team with information and pictures of your visit: publicpolicy@acct.org. We would like to uplift your member of Congress’s engagement with your community college to inspire others.

Grant Opportunities

Please view ACCT's new resource highlighting top competitive grant opportunities for community colleges. These below are the top highlights:

Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program 2026

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting proposals for its Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program. This grant aims to facilitate multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through competitively funded initiatives and projects. The grant is intended to address regional and/or national specialty crop issues, including, but not limited to: food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crops-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. USDA anticipates about 20 awards ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000. Cost sharing is required, and applicants must demonstrate 25%. The application deadline is Friday, December 4, 2026. Learn more and apply here.

Collections Stewardship

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Collections & Infrastructure is currently accepting proposals for the Collections Stewardship, a program that aims to advance the preservation and availability of physical and digital collections crucial for research, education, and public engagement in the humanities. Projects may include conservations and preservation, digitization and description, enhancement of existing digital resources, and preservation services & education training. All public and private institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. NEH anticipates around 50 awards ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. Awards are available in three tiers: tier 1 consists of planning projects that range from $50,000 to $100,000; tier 2 consists of individual implementation projects ranging from $100,001 to $350,000; and tier 3 consists of implementation projects involving more than one organization ranging from $350,001 to $500,000. The application deadline is Tuesday, December 15, 2026. Learn more and apply here.

• November 4, 11:59 PM ET - NSF State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs
• November 6, 1-2 PM ET -  ACCT LAW Live 
• November 10, 12:30-1:30 PM ET - Midterm Election Results: Impacts on Congress, the President, and Higher Education Webinar
• November 10, 2-3 PM ET -- FSA FVT/GE, STATS Webinar #2
• December 4, 1-2 PM ET- -  ACCT LAW Live
• December 4 - Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program
• December 15 - Collections Stewardship
• February 7-10, 2027 - National Legislative Summit

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges.

If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

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