Regional vs national accreditation: what changed in 2026

Since July 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has recognized no “regional” accreditors: every agency it recognizes is a “nationally recognized accrediting agency.” In 2026 ED proposed two rules to end the label, in accreditors’ wording and in schools’ transfer policies, and neither was final on October 27, 2026. Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

You are paying with your own money this time, so the worry is a school whose credits or degree count for less later. For federal aid and federal jobs, the rules test whether ED recognizes the accreditor, not its old region. For transfer, the school you move to decides.

Federal rules have had no regional accreditors since July 1, 2020

ED’s February 2026 notice states it plainly: “The Final Rule took effect on July 1, 2020, ending the Department’s recognition of accrediting agencies as ‘regional.’” That rule was published November 1, 2019. Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

The law behind it is the definition of a college that can offer federal aid. A school must be “accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association,” and ED says “all accrediting agencies that are recognized by the Secretary are designated as ‘nationally recognized accrediting agencies.’” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

The seven agencies people still call regional are the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Middle States, New England, Northwest, the Southern Association’s Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), WASC Senior and the junior college commission (ACCJC).

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) names them and says “In 2020 geographical boundaries for these accreditors were eliminated.” Source · CHEA Almanac, 2022-2023

ED’s own list now gives each of the seven a geographic area of “The United States” or “Throughout the United States.” Source · ED, Institutional Accrediting Agencies

Two 2026 proposals go further, and neither is final

The 2019 rule changed how ED recognizes agencies. The 2026 documents aim at what accreditors and schools still say, and at transfer policies built on the old label.

1. Nov 1, 2019

   Final rule published

   ED removes the concept of regional accreditors from its regulations (84 FR 58834).

2. July 1, 2020

   Rule takes effect

   ED stops recognizing any accrediting agency as regional.

3. Feb 17, 2026

   Proposed interpretive rule

   Published as 91 FR 7199 after ED’s February 13 announcement. Comments closed March 19, 2026, with 24 received.

4. Aug 20, 2026

   Proposed accreditation rule

   Would write the February guidance into the regulations and add transfer-of-credit rules. Comments closed September 21, 2026.

5. Oct 27, 2026

   Neither is final

   We found no final version of either document in the Federal Register.

February. ED “strongly discourages an accrediting agency” from “referring to itself as ‘regional,’” and says “institutions should consider only referring to their accreditation status as being with a ‘nationally recognized accrediting agency.’” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

On transfer, ED says a policy that only takes credit from schools with a formerly regional accreditor “would contravene how the Department recognizes accrediting agencies.” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

ED also says what the notice is: “Although this proposed interpretative rule is nonbinding on the Department and the public, the Department may refer to this interpretive rule when taking enforcement action.” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

August. The proposed rule says it would “codify guidance” from the February notice. Its transfer text has two halves, and both matter. Source · Federal Register, 2026-17001

If it is finalized as written, a denial would come with “a written explanation identifying the academic basis for the decision,” and you would get “a meaningful opportunity to appeal.” Until then, these are proposals. Source · Federal Register, 2026-17001

Quality, aid and federal jobs turn on recognition, not region

Here is the belief that regional is better, row by row, against what the rules say and where the word still shows up.

On quality, ED’s February 13 announcement calls the idea that “‘regional’ accreditation is superior to ‘national’ accreditation” incorrect. It says “the Department holds all recognized institutional accreditors to the same standards.” That is ED’s position. Source · ED press release, Feb 13, 2026

CHEA’s database page adds its own caution against judging an accreditor’s quality “based solely on inclusion in one database or the other.” Source · CHEA

On aid, ED’s overview says “Only agencies recognized by the Secretary can provide the gate-keeping function” for federal student aid. Source · ED, Overview of Accreditation

On jobs, ED’s diploma mill page says “Many employers in the United States only recognize degrees earned from institutions accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education.” Its test is recognized, not regional. Source · ED, Diploma Mills and Accreditation

Transfer and licensing are where “regional” still has force

The school you move to decides which of your credits it takes. Federal rules make it publish how: its transfer policy must list “any types of institutions or sources from which the institution will not accept credits.” Source · eCFR, 34 CFR 668.43(a)(11)

Some of those written policies still use the old label.

Regent University’s transfer page, read October 27, 2026, mixes both terms. It waives general education for “a qualifying regionally accredited A.A., A.S., or A.A.&S degree,” and its list of approved transfer sources includes work from schools “holding institutional accreditation status.” Source · Regent University

ASU’s transfer page uses the word too, for its 64-semester-hour cap on lower-division credit from two-year colleges, as our guide to how many credits will transfer quotes. No one school’s wording tells you what another school does.

One line of the law still puts a condition on regional accreditation: HEA Section 102(b)(1)(A).

It covers a for-profit school that “provides a program leading to a baccalaureate degree in liberal arts, and has provided such a program since January 1, 2009,” and “is accredited by a recognized regional accrediting agency or association, and has continuously held such accreditation since October 1, 2007, or earlier.”

ED calls that “a narrow, time-limited exception.” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

On licenses, ED is plain about the limit of its reach. It writes: “As the Department explained in the Final Rule, although it lacks authority to compel State action, the Department eliminated from its regulations the distinction between regional and institutional accreditation.” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

In the same passage it adds: “States could continue to have policies or laws that attach significance to accreditation from an agency that was formerly recognized as ‘regional,’ but any State policy that hinges upon current recognition of an accrediting agency as ‘regional’ is obsolete.” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

ED then “strongly encourages States, including State licensure boards, to revise their laws or regulations, as necessary, to remove this distinction.” Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

If your job needs a license, read your state board’s own rule on accreditation.

Worked example: HLC, DEAC and one transfer policy

Example: two real entries from ED’s list of recognized institutional accrediting agencies, read October 27, 2026. The Higher Learning Commission is one of the seven called regional. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) is not.

Both are recognized, and both list the whole country as their area. Source · ED, Institutional Accrediting Agencies ED says it “has not, and does not, hold these accrediting agencies to different recognition criteria standards,” speaking of agencies once called national or regional. Source · Federal Register, 91 FR 7199

For a student, the line to read is the Title IVTitle IV, Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The part of federal law that covers federal student aid. A Title IV school is one approved to pay out federal grants and loans. note: it says whether that agency’s accreditation can make a school eligible for federal aid.

Now one transfer policy. ED’s February notice cites the University of Washington’s page as one that only accepts credit from “regionally” accredited schools.

On October 27, 2026 the page still read:

“In general, it is University policy to accept credits earned at institutions fully accredited by their regional accrediting association for colleges and universities, provided that such credits have been earned through university-level undergraduate courses appropriate to the student’s degree program at the University of Washington (UW).” Source · University of Washington

The same page says “Admissions reserves the right to accept or reject credits earned at other institutions of higher education.” Once enrolled, a student “may explore the possibility of obtaining departmental approval” for coursework from “a non-regionally accredited institution.” Source · University of Washington

If the August 2026 proposal were final as written, a school could not deny transfer credit solely because the coursework came from a school with a different ED-recognized accreditor, such as DEAC.

It could still apply “its own academic standards or curricular requirements,” and a denial would need a written academic reason. Until then, UW’s written policy is what UW applies, and UW decides. Source · Federal Register, 2026-17001

Check your school’s accreditor in four steps

1. Find the school's accreditor

   Look the school up on ED’s database with our five-minute check for whether an online school is legit. Note the agency’s exact name.

2. Find the agency on ED's list

   Open ED’s list of institutional accrediting agencies and read the Title IV note under the agency’s name, if there is one.

3. Read the next school's transfer policy

   If you may transfer later, find the written policy at the school you would move to. Look for the “types of institutions” it won’t accept credit from.

4. Get it in writing

   Ask for a written credit evaluation before you pay. For a licensed job, check your state board’s rule on accreditation.

The other checks before you enroll, from who runs the school to what its graduates earn, are in our online degree guides.

CPHE and NAAE are not on ED’s list

The Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE) and the National Association for Academic Excellence (NAAE) do not appear on ED’s list of recognized institutional accrediting agencies, which we checked on October 27, 2026. Source · ED, Institutional Accrediting Agencies

Bellevue University, one of NAAE’s five founding members, said on October 13, 2026: “NAAE will seek formal recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. Until that process is complete, the five founding institutions will remain accredited by their current federally recognized accrediting agencies.” Source · Bellevue University, Oct 13, 2026

For federal aid, what counts is an agency on the list, so check the list again on the day you decide.

Frequently asked questions

What does regionally accredited mean?

It means accredited by one of the seven agencies CHEA lists as regional, such as the Higher Learning Commission, whose geographic boundaries ended in 2020. ED stopped recognizing any agency as regional on July 1, 2020, and its 2026 notice says schools should consider describing their accreditor as a “nationally recognized accrediting agency.”

Is national accreditation worse than regional?

ED says it holds every recognized institutional accreditor to the same standards. What still differs is each agency’s Title IV note on ED’s list and how the school you transfer to writes its policy. That school decides on your credits.

Does CHEA recognition matter for federal aid?

CHEA recognizes accreditors on its own, separately from ED; its database lists schools accredited by agencies recognized “either by CHEA or by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) or both.” CHEA says “The primary purpose of USDE recognition is to assure that federal student aid funds are used for quality courses and programs.” For aid, ED’s list is the one to check.

Do federal jobs accept degrees from nationally accredited schools?

OPM counts education from a school “appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education,” at the time you studied. Its rule does not mention regional accreditation.

Your next step: see the federal aid a recognized school can offer

Recognized accreditation is part of what a school needs to offer federal aid. Once your school’s accreditor checks out, the aid check estimates a full-time Pell Grant and full-time annual federal loan limits under the rules for the year you start (2026-27 or 2027-28). Your school’s aid office sets the actual offer.