Last summer, Philadelphia’s University of the Arts closed abruptly, stranding students and gutting faculty—just days after a loss of accreditation sealed its fate. That closure, once considered a rare collapse, is now starting to feel like a harbinger. In 2023–24 alone, 161 institutions either closed, merged, or lost access to federal aid—most of them linked directly to accreditation issues.
But this isn’t just about red tape. What we’re witnessing is the slow political dismantling of one of the most critical—and least understood—pillars of higher education. And if left unchecked, it won’t just destabilize universities. It will chip away at the foundation of an informed and empowered society.
When civilizations begin to fall, the suppression of academic institutions and the weakening of truth-telling structures is often one of the first steps.
Accreditation: From Bureaucratic Burden to Political Battlefield
Accreditation has always been a complex, sometimes tedious process. Every eight to ten years, colleges undergo rigorous reviews by recognized agencies—bodies like the HLC, SACSCOC, and WSCUC—that determine whether they qualify for federal student aid. It's not glamorous, but it’s essential: Title IV funding (over $160 billion annually) hinges on this seal of approval.
But over the last several years, accreditation has moved from the margins to the front lines of the culture wars. Conservatives argue accreditors enforce “liberal orthodoxy” and are using their authority to stifle alternative education models. Republican-led states like Florida and North Carolina have passed laws requiring public universities to change accreditors every cycle, creating constant institutional instability. Project 2025, a roadmap for a second Trump administration, promises to “attack the accreditation cartel” and create new accrediting bodies more aligned with conservative ideologies.
Trump himself has called accreditation his “secret weapon.”
The Risks of Ideologically Driven Accreditation
On paper, giving colleges more accreditor options might sound like a step toward innovation or deregulation. In practice, it creates chaos. Students whose schools are accredited by unrecognized or politically motivated agencies could find their credits non-transferable. Graduate schools and employers might reject their degrees. Institutions could lose access to federal funds—not just for student aid, but for research grants, facility upgrades, and more.
Accreditation would become less about academic quality and more about political alignment. That means schools in red states might be accredited under very different standards than those in blue states, leading to a fragmented and unequal education system.
Worse, it opens the door for the elimination of academic programs seen as ideologically “inconvenient.” The moment accreditation becomes politicized, universities lose their role as spaces for intellectual freedom—and become tools of political messaging.
The Emerging Divide
Elite universities in progressive states, bolstered by large endowments and stable funding, might be able to withstand a politically motivated accreditation shift. But the 1,800+ colleges in Republican-led states serving over 9 million students? Not so lucky.
Smaller, tuition-dependent colleges and regional public institutions—already stretched thin—could face extinction if they lose accreditation or are forced into unrecognized alternatives. Many rely on federal aid for 40–45% of their revenue. Without that, closures like the University of the Arts could become the norm, not the exception.
And for students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, the impact would be devastating. Without Title IV aid, their only option might be private loans with worse terms and fewer protections.
Accreditation as the First Domino
Academic suppression doesn’t always start with book bans or curriculum crackdowns. Sometimes, it begins with something more obscure—like accreditation. It’s a word that rarely makes headlines, but its politicization is one of the clearest signs that higher education is drifting from its mission.
If schools lose autonomy over what they teach, how they operate, and who certifies their legitimacy, then education ceases to be a public good. It becomes an ideological product—tailored not to the pursuit of knowledge, but to the approval of political power.
A Void of Leadership
Despite the stakes, we’ve yet to see a cohesive, student-centered vision guiding the future of accreditation. Federal and state leaders are shaping new rules, yet institutions, faculty, and students remain largely on the sidelines. There is no consensus around preserving academic standards, no protection for at-risk students, and no plan to ensure fair access across different regions and political climates.
And most damning? As the House v. NCAA settlement threatens to reshape collegiate sports—and by extension, university finances—we’re seeing the same top-down disregard for those most affected. Student-athletes are still waiting for answers on eligibility, international status, and governance. The same architects rewriting the rules of sports finance are now tinkering with accreditation, once again ignoring the communities their decisions disrupt.
The Clock Is Ticking
The warning signs are clear. Accreditation is no longer just a matter of institutional compliance—it’s a political weapon. And if left unchecked, it will deepen divides, silence dissent, and destabilize the entire higher ed landscape.
Academic freedom doesn’t disappear all at once. It dies slowly—in policy shifts, in budget votes, and in the quiet, overlooked corner of accreditation reform.
What comes next will depend on whether institutions decide to defend it before it’s too late.
