Accreditation for College Excellence Act of 2025

The Accreditation for College Excellence Act of 2025 would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to bar accrediting agencies from applying political litmus tests when evaluating colleges and universities. In plain terms, accrediting bodies could not require or pressure institutions to take particular political positions, assess or compel adherence to any ideology, or treat individuals differently based on protected characteristics for political reasons. The bill also preserves space for religious institutions to pursue their mission (including faith statements and codes of conduct) and to have oaths related to the Constitution without facing accreditation penalties for those purposes. It further limits the scope of accreditation criteria to what the law requires, ensuring that eligibility for federal programs is based on core standards rather than unrelated, ideological criteria. Sponsored by a group of representatives and introduced March 31, 2025, the bill seeks to ensure that accreditation decisions focus on non-political, legally appropriate criteria and protect religious and constitutional rights, while constraining the federal secretary’s ability to impose broader, non-required accreditation standards.