Showdown at the Ivory Tower: Trump’s Accreditation Crackdown Begins

From Gatekeepers to Outlaws: How Accreditors Lost Their Federal Immunity

May 05, 2025

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It is high noon, and the dust is swirling between higher education accreditors and the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president has drawn first with an Executive Order (EO) released on 23 April 2025. In that EO, President Trump has called out the failure of accreditation.

Wanted: Accreditation’s Failures

Trump cites the routine approval of low-quality colleges and universities. He points to low graduation rates and the enormous debt left in their wake as signs that these organizations are not fit for purpose. He goes on to focus on their abuse of power injecting diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology into the curriculum.

The EO continues, criticizing how many degree programs leave students saddled with debt for jobs that are low paying. Social workers and counselors take note: some places of higher education, like Northwestern University, are charging upwards of $132,000 ($22,304 per quarter for six quarters.) for the master’s degree required to practice a career with average annual earnings between $46k and $65k.

The arithmetic speaks for itself.

Cartels of Credentialing

Also highlighted is how many accreditors are monopoly providers in their domain of focus. The American Bar Association (ABA), Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) are four such monopoly agencies, all of which are using their power to demand Critical Social Justice-based training.

With professional training in law, therapy, social work and medicine all ideologically captured, that represents a huge influence on the future direction of the country.

This has become a familiar tune among those pushing for reform. Now it has the weight of the Federal government behind it.

The EO’s provisions to hold accreditors accountable include revoking, suspending, or monitoring the accrediting authority of these bodies. How that will play out for monopoly accreditors as noted above is unclear. Federal law still requires accreditation approval for Pell Grants, student loans, and other government monies. This could present an opportunity for groups that organize a rival quickly. For students, it may mean a period of limbo should accreditors fail to make adjustments.

Currently the ABA has already suspended its standard as it works on edits in response to Attorney General Pam Bondi’s 28 February letter calling the institution out for “unlawful race and sex discrimination under the guise of ‘diversity’ mandates.” Should that impact the future of students already working on their degrees is anyone’s guess.

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The New Sheriffs in Town

In this new realignment, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Education, with the input of the Secretary of Health and Human Services are empowered to take action to end discrimination in medical schools and other health related education bodies that was required by accreditors under the banner of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

With full follow up, accreditors may then be suspended or terminated as needed to bring medical schools and other educational bodies taking Federal funds into compliance with the law, as the ABA is already grappling with.

On the other hand, though bold in its language, the EO’s enforcement could face procedural hurdles and legal opposition from long-established accreditation bodies.

High Stakes Future

The last part of the EO reorients the mission of accreditation toward student benefit. That is defined as high-quality, high-value, non-discriminatory programs, lowering barriers to advanced degrees and credentials, promoting viewpoint diversity, abiding by the Constitution and other laws, and eliminating credential inflation.

To make that a reality, the Secretary of Education is tasked with approving more accreditors, tracking outcomes without referencing identity markers, promptly investigating Title IX and civil rights violations, beginning an experimental site to advance innovation in higher education, updating processes to streamline changing accreditors, reviewing accreditors, including through the use of technology, and making the entire process more efficient and transparent.

Scramble at the Accreditation Corral

While accreditors and educators have voiced various responses, from the complaints of authoritarian control from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) to the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC)’s plea for a negotiated process, Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon has wasted no time in getting started.

On 1 May 2025, a Dear Colleague letter was sent to colleges, relating how the process of changing accreditors had been streamlined and clarifying details relating to those proceedings.

This was paired with a press release from the Department of Education which covers the same ground with this quote from McMahon:

President Trump’s Executive Order and our actions today will ensure this Department no longer stands as a gatekeeper to block aspiring innovators from becoming new accreditors nor will this Department unnecessarily micromanage an institution’s choice of accreditor.

While it remains to be seen how this will all settle out, the Executive Branch has made its intentions clear. Yet with accreditation standards, often taking at least a year to be revised and renewed, it’s unclear how entities like the ABA, CACREP, and others deeply steeped in DEI requirements will manage to adjust in a timely manner, much less the university programs still beholden to those standards.

While the EO sets no deadline, its language doesn’t equivicate: accreditors that maintain their DEI directives will face consequences, including termination of their accrediting authority, if they fail to comply.

Between the religious tenor of the Critical Social Justice ideology behind DEI requirements, and the deep pockets and legal acumen contained in the ABA, it would be surprising if there wasn’t a forthcoming legal challenge on the grounds of administrative overreach.

Time will tell.

As we wait for a substantive response from accreditors, shots have been fired, and bars of “Shall We Gather at the River” are faint.

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About

Diogenes in Exile began after I returned to grad school to pursue a Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree at the University of Tennessee. What I encountered, however, was a program deeply entrenched in Critical Theories ideology. During my time there, I experienced significant resistance, particularly for my Buddhist practice, which was labeled as invalidating to other identities. After careful reflection, I chose to leave the program, believing the curriculum being taught would ultimately harm clients and lead to unethical practices in the field.

Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to investigating, writing, and speaking out about the troubling direction of psychology, higher education, and other institutions that seem to have lost their way. When I’m not working on these issues, you’ll find me in the garden, creating art, walking my dog, or guiding my kids toward adulthood.

You can also find my work at Minding the Campus