Accreditation disclosure

(a) Accreditation disclosure system Part G of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 494A. Accreditation disclosure system (a) In general Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2026, the Secretary shall design and establish standards for standardized online accreditation disclosures by institutions of higher education that participate in any program under this title. The Secretary shall require each such institution of higher education to— (1) display, prominently on the institution’s website, a standard form of disclosure of the institution’s accreditation status, designed by the Secretary, including whether the status is under appeal; (2) regularly update such display as its accreditation status changes; and (3) include a link from such display, including on the homepage of the institution’s website, to any applicable supporting public documentation relating to the institution’s accreditation status, including correspondence to and from the accrediting agency or association. (b) Accreditation terminology The Secretary shall establish by regulation common definitions for the various accreditation statuses and actions taken by accrediting agencies and associations, for use by such agencies and associations in all public documents and reporting to the Secretary, State licensing or authorizing agency, and State Attorneys General. (c) Coordination In developing the system described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives, other Federal agencies, student and consumer advocacy groups, institutions of higher education, accrediting agencies and associations, and other entities determined appropriate by the Secretary. (d) Accreditation status In this section, the term accreditation status means— (1) the issuance of any order to show cause; (2) the initiation of an enhanced accreditation review under this Act and any action taken as a result of such review; (3) any action taken pursuant to section 496(t)(2); (4) any other action taken by an accrediting agency or association, as described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of section 496(c)(8); and (5) any other factor determined appropriate by the Secretary through regulation. (e) Transparency Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2026, the Secretary shall collect from accrediting agencies and associations and publish on a federally maintained website all final documents produced in the agencies’ and associations’ reviews of institutions of higher education, including site visit reports, decision letters, a list of members of the review committees, and all other final documents that the Secretary determines appropriate.. (b) Program participation agreement Section 487(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: (30) Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of the Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2026, the institution will use, prominently on the institution’s website, the standardized online accreditation disclosure system established by the Secretary under section 494A to— (A) disclose the accreditation status of the institution; and (B) update the disclosure within 48 hours of receiving notification from an accrediting agency or association of a change in accreditation status..