The Department of Education’s proposed Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) regulations are available for public comment through September 21, 2026.

WSCUC has reviewed the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and is preparing formal comments. Our review indicates that the proposed regulatory text is unchanged from the redlined draft released shortly after negotiations concluded. The NPRM introduces an extensive preamble explaining the Department’s rationale for the proposed changes.

Several provisions of the proposed regulations could have significant implications for institutional policies and operations. The following summarizes select provisions with potential implications for institutions and students:

Student Achievement Standards – Proposed regulations would require accreditors to evaluate student achievement at both the institutional and program levels, including minimum expectations, using measures such as licensure results, retention and completion, employment or continued education, standardized assessments, and educational and economic returns relative to cost of attendance.

Cost/Benefit Analysis – Proposed regulations would require accreditors to review institutions’ budgets, resource use and allocation, and planning, including whether expected benefits justify associated financial, administrative, and opportunity costs and the impact of capital expenditures on future operating expenses.

Academic Freedom and Intellectual Diversity – Proposed regulations would require accreditors to evaluate institutional policies protecting academic freedom and freedom of inquiry and supporting intellectual diversity and the free exchange of ideas. The proposed regulations would also introduce requirements for measuring student and faculty perceptions of the range of viewpoints and perspectives offered.

Transfer of Credit – Proposed regulations would require accreditors to confirm institutions have policies that award undergraduate transfer credit for successfully completed coursework from institutions accredited by a federally recognized agency when the coursework is comparable in content and learning outcomes. Institutions may decline to award transfer credit but would have to provide a course-specific written rationale and an opportunity to appeal within 15 calendar days.

WSCUC encourages institutions to review the NPRM and consider commenting on provisions that may have implications for institutional policies or operations. We will continue to keep institutions informed as the rulemaking process advances.