Accreditation for College Excellence Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4]
In Committee
Summary
Stops accreditation agencies from imposing political or ideological tests on colleges. This bill would add a new rule to the Higher Education Act that forbids accreditors from compelling, coercing, or encouraging institutions to adopt or oppose political, ideological, or social viewpoints or to take oaths to uphold particular beliefs.
Show full summary
- Colleges and religious institutions: Religious colleges would be protected from accreditor rules that prohibit faith-based missions, require religiously neutral conduct, or forbid faith statements and codes of conduct. This preserves an accreditor's ability to accept or enforce religious standards for institutions they accredit.
- Accrediting agencies: Agencies would be barred from using standards that assess an institution's commitment to any ideology or that force support or opposition to specific viewpoints. They also could not compel different treatment of people based on protected classes except as required by federal law or court order.
- Federal oversight and criteria: The Education Secretary could not impose accreditation criteria beyond what the Higher Education Act requires. Institutions that meet their accreditor's standards under the bill would be treated as meeting statutory accreditation rules, even if agencies add unrelated extra standards.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Colleges shielded from political tests
If enacted, accrediting agencies would be barred from forcing colleges to adopt or oppose political, ideological, social, or cultural views. They would not be able to require a school to prove commitment to an ideology or force a school to treat people differently because of protected traits, except as Federal law or a court order requires. Accreditors also would not be allowed to stop a school from having a religious mission, requiring statements of faith, or enforcing religious codes. If a school meets its accreditor's standards that assess the elements in subsection (a)(5), it would be treated as meeting accreditation requirements under section 102, even if the accreditor has other standards unrelated to federal programs.
Limits Education Secretary's accrediting power
If enacted, the Secretary of Education would be barred from setting accrediting criteria beyond what the Higher Education Act already requires. The Secretary could only adopt criteria that are explicitly mandated in the named section. This would limit federal oversight of accrediting agencies and would reduce the Department's tools to enforce some student protections.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4]
UT • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Guthrie, Brett [R-KY-2]
KY • R
Sponsored 8/8/2025
Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24]
NY • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3]
NC • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6]
WI • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Rose
TN • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Babin
TX • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Onder
MO • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Moore (WV)
WV • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Messmer
IN • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1]
MN • R
Sponsored 5/14/2025
Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]
FL • R
Sponsored 7/2/2025
Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6]
FL • R
Sponsored 7/15/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov