Texas lawmakers have proposed establishing an accreditation commission and implementing biennial reviews of university accrediting agencies.
House Bill 1870, introduced by State Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (R-Galveston), would create an accreditation commission within the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The commission would be accountable to the governor.
A companion measure, Senate Bill 1322, was filed by State Sen. Brent Hagenbuch (R-Denton).
Accreditors review higher education institutions for quality and approve the federal student aid distribution. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recognizes accreditors and lists approved ones on its website.
The proposed commission would identify at least three accrediting agencies most suited to serve universities. It would establish publicly available accreditation standards and evaluate agencies biennially, rating them as unsatisfactory, satisfactory, or exceptional.
If an accrediting agency receives an unsatisfactory rating, the schools it accredits would be required to seek accreditation from a different approved agency with at least a satisfactory rating. Universities with an exemplary rating could continue using their current accreditor as long as they maintain that status.
To determine an accreditor’s rating, the commission would assess factors such as student employment outcomes, freshman retention rates, and graduation rates. It would also consider the percentage of graduates employed in their field of study, median student loan debt, loan repayment timelines, and graduates’ median earnings.
“With many accreditation agencies straying from their core mission to improve higher education in Texas, legislation like SB 1322 is pivotal in strengthening accountability, improving institutional outcomes and will allow higher ed organizations in Texas to focus more on student success and workforce development,” Hagenbuch told Texas Scorecard.
During President Trump’s campaign, he lambasted accreditors, calling them radical leftists who “have allowed [America’s] colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics.”
Professor and author Scott Yenor has also expressed concerns about accrediting agencies.
In a recent article, Yenor criticized the agencies as a private arm of a public system that can mandate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and “nudge institutions toward left-wing curricular changes.”
After Texas passed Senate Bill 17, which banned DEI offices and hiring practices in public universities, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges released a December 2023 statement supporting DEI “in all areas of higher education.”
SACSCOC is the primary accreditor in Texas and is notably used by Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin.
A 2022 Texas Public Policy Foundation study showed that SACSCOC had the largest share of failing bachelor’s degree programs among all seven regional accreditors.
SACSCOC accounted for a 25 percent share of all programs and 42 percent of all failing programs—the most dramatic underperformer.
If passed, the measures would go into effect on September 1.
