Notice2026-12008
Accrediting Agency Currently Undergoing Review for the Purpose of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 15, 2026
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
This notice provides information to members of the public on submitting written comments for an accrediting agency currently undergoing review for the purpose of recognition by the Secretary of Education.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 114 (Monday, June 15, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 114 (Monday, June 15, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35973-35974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-12008]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Accrediting Agency Currently Undergoing Review for the Purpose of
Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of
Education.
ACTION: Call for written third-party comments.
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SUMMARY: This notice provides information to members of the public on
submitting written comments for an accrediting agency currently
undergoing review for the purpose of recognition by the Secretary of
Education.
DATES: July 15, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Daggett, Director,
Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Fifth floor, Washington, DC
20202, telephone: (202) 453-7615, or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c8ada4a1b2a9aaadbca0e6aca9afafadbcbc88adace6afa7be"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2f4a4346554e4d4a5b47014b4e48484a5b5b6f4a4b01484059">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This request for written third-party
comments concerning the performance of an accrediting agency under
review by the Secretary of Education is required by Section
496(n)(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C.
1001, et seq. (HEA), and pertains to the second meeting in 2027 of the
National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity
(NACIQI). The meeting date will be announced in a later Federal
Register notice and will describe how to register to provide oral
comments at the meeting. Written comments submitted in response to this
Federal Register notice must be submitted to the electronic mail
address identified below on or before the comment due date.
Agency Under Review and Evaluation: The Department requests written
comments from the public on the following accrediting agency, which is
currently undergoing review and evaluation by the Accreditation Group,
and which will potentially be reviewed at the second 2027 NACIQI
meeting.
The agency has submitted an application for initial recognition.
Please note, the agency's requested scope of recognition is indicated
below.
Application for Initial Recognition
1. Postsecondary Commission. Requested Scope of Recognition: The
accreditation of postsecondary institutions, including degree and non-
degree-granting institutions offering undergraduate certificates,
undergraduate degrees, postgraduate certificates, and graduate degrees
(master's, doctoral, and Ph.D.). This includes the accreditation of
programs offered via distance education at those institutions. Jointly
with the Commission, this recognition extends to the Appeals Panel for
accreditation decisions under appeal. Geographic Area of Accrediting
Activities: Throughout the United States.
Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency
Under Review
Written comments in response to this Federal Register notice about
the
[[Page 35974]]
recognition of the accrediting agency listed above must be received on
or before the comment due date, in the <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e2b68a8b9086b28390969ba18d8f8f878c9691a28786cc858d94"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a7f3cfced5c3f7c6d5d3dee4c8cacac2c9d3d4e7c2c389c0c8d1">[email protected]</span></a>
mailbox. Please include in the subject line ``Written Comments: (agency
name).'' The electronic mail (email) must include the name(s), title,
organization/affiliation, mailing address, email address, and telephone
number of the person(s) making the comment. Comments should be
submitted as a PDF, Microsoft Word document, or in a medium compatible
with Microsoft Word that is attached to an email or provided in the
body of an email message. Comments about an agency that has submitted a
petition for initial recognition must relate to the agency's compliance
with the Secretary's Criteria for Recognition of accrediting agencies,
which are available at: <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-602?toc=1">https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-602?toc=1</a>.
Only written materials submitted by the deadline to the email
address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these
instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies
scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in
their deliberations. Comments about the agency listed in this Federal
Register notice may also be provided orally at the second 2027 NACIQI
meeting, which has not yet been scheduled, but which will be announced
in a future Federal Register notice.
Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/">https://www.govinfo.gov/</a>. At this site, you can view this document,
as well as all other documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in
the Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1099b; 20 U.S.C. 1011c.
David Barker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2026-12008 Filed 6-12-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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