The Trump administration is carrying out a new long-term strategy to reorient higher education by influencing U.S. accreditation standards.
NACIQI, or the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, held its first meeting since President Donald Trump took office on Dec. 16. The advisory board is responsible for legitimizing accreditors by enforcing criteria and oversight recommended by a panel of 18 members, six of which are chosen by the Department of Education.
During the meeting, Under Secretary Nicholas Kent—echoing the Trump administration’s rhetoric about higher education—criticized NACIQI for letting accreditors promote divisive ideology, such as DEI. He also promised to reestablish higher education’s focus on graduation rates, earnings and academic rigor while reducing student debt.
“I think we all agree there are real issues with NACIQI, there are real issues with the accreditation recognition process,” Kent said. “We’re going to fix a lot of it. Buckle up: We got a lot of work ahead of us.”
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After a tie vote, board members eventually selected Jay Greene, a former researcher for the right-wing Heritage Foundation, as NACIQI’s committee chair.
Greene was one of five people appointed to the board in November by the Department of Education, which recently convened a White House roundtable on the “far-left ideological capture of American Universities.”
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Trump signed an executive order in April aimed at reforming “dysfunctional accreditation system.” His administration’s newfound influence over NACIQI offers Republicans a tangible method to impact policy and compliance.
“Under Secretary Kent uses words like ‘revolution’ when he’s talking about accreditation, and I think he’s serious,” Jonathan Helwink, principal at Helwink Legal Group and former special counsel for the Education Department, told University Business. “He is investing his resources, time and staff in reimagining the accreditation system in this country.”
Kent described in the Dec. 16 meeting opening pathways for new accrediting bodies to “drive innovation and disrupt the status quo.”
One accreditor seeking recognition is The Commission for Public Higher Education. It was introduced by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has previously called the accreditation system a “cartel.” At least 10 colleges and universities across Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina have indicated interest thus far.
NACIQI may also be another lever for Trump to exert pressure on high-profile universities that the administration has singled out, Helwink adds.
One compliance report reviewed during the meeting pertained to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Columbia University’s accreditor.
NACIQI has previously delisted an accreditor, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, for its failure to protect students defrauded by for-profit colleges.
The board’s focus on an Ivy League school at its Dec. 16 meeting may represent a shift in its oversight priorities.
“It’s clear that the targeting window for this administration has shifted in ways that don’t have a historical precedent,” Helwink says.
However, NACIQI’s influence over accreditation may be more understated than Under Secretary Kent declared.
“It isn’t a matter of turning a DEI switch on or off,” Helwink says. “There is a process to change the rules and to judge accreditors upon those rules.”
