# 119-s-5053: Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2026

119-s-5053, Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5053
- As of: 2026-08-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5053
- Congress: 119
- Title: Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-21
- Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-02

## Summary

**This bill would make accreditation hinge on measurable outcomes and stronger federal oversight by centering accreditation on _student achievement_ and tighter agency accountability.** It would create new data-driven benchmarks, public disclosure tools, and sharper enforcement powers for the Secretary of Education.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Clear accreditation labels and records: benefit, medium. This bill would create a federal Accreditation Disclosure System and require Title IV schools to use it within three years. Schools would post a Secretary-designed accreditation status form on their websites and update any status change within 48 hours. Accreditors would publish summaries and reaso…
- Limits on schools switching accreditors: benefit, medium. This bill would stop the Secretary from recognizing a school's new accreditation during a change of accreditors unless the school provides prior accreditation materials, the prior accreditor confirms no active concerns, the school had no adverse actions in the prior 24 months, and the change is vol…
- Required credit transfer agreements between schools: benefit, medium. This bill would require every institution under the same accreditor to have credit-transfer agreements with the others within four years. Agreements must allow transfer of all general education courses and courses required for substantially similar programs. Accreditors would confirm schools publis…
- Stronger conflict rules for accreditors: benefit, low. This bill would bar reviewers from accreditation decisions if they recently worked for, have major financial ties to, or have fiduciary duties to a school under review. It would also bar certain family members, federally registered lobbyists, and specified former accreditor leaders. The rule aims t…
- New student outcome rules for colleges: mixed, high. This bill would require accreditors to set minimum student achievement thresholds that colleges must meet to remain accredited. The Education Secretary would define measures like academic progression, loan repayment, post-college earnings, and debt-to-earnings and provide yearly disaggregated data…
- Higher oversight and teach-out protections: mixed, medium. This bill would require accreditors to start enhanced reviews when a school faces fraud investigations, bankruptcy, ownership changes, rapid enrollment shifts, or signs of financial weakness. Reviews can lead to suspension or loss of accreditation, extra public notices, and teach-out obligations. S…
- Federal court for accreditation suits: mixed, low. This bill would require that civil actions about the accreditation rules or a school's accreditation denial, withdrawal, or termination be filed in U.S. district court. This would change where such cases are heard and could affect timelines and legal costs for schools and plaintiffs.
- No agency handoff of accreditation duties: mixed, low. This bill would bar the Education Secretary from contracting with or transferring certain accreditation recognition duties to another federal agency. Existing contracts in effect on January 20, 2025, and their renewals are exceptions. The change would affect how the Department organizes accreditati…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5053 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5053)

## Related
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5053 (as of 2026-08-02).