For decades, prospective students were frequently advised to attend a “regionally accredited” institution because regional accreditation was widely viewed as the highest standard of institutional quality. That advice became deeply embedded in higher education publications, employer guidance, transfer credit policies, and more recently, search engines and artificial intelligence (AI) systems trained on publicly available information. However, recent changes to federal accreditation regulations have altered the way the U.S. Department of Education classifies institutional accreditation (U.S. Department of Education, 2026a). As a result, many online resources continue to rely on terminology that no longer reflects current federal policy.
Historically, accrediting agencies in the United States developed along geographic lines. Regional accrediting agencies served institutions within designated geographic areas, while national accrediting agencies often focused on career, technical, vocational, religious, or distance education institutions (Eaton, 2012).
Over time, this organizational distinction evolved into a commonly accepted perception that regional accreditation represented a superior level of institutional quality. Although many colleges, employers, and graduate schools adopted policies that favored institutions accredited by regional agencies, neither the Higher Education Act nor the Department of Education established a legal hierarchy of institutional quality based solely on regional versus national accreditation (20 U.S.C. § 1001, 2025). As the internet expanded, millions of webpages repeated the message that students should choose a “regionally accredited” institution.
Federal Regulatory Changes
In 2019, the Department of Education published final regulations revising the recognition of accrediting agencies. The regulations became effective on July 1, 2020, and removed the Department’s historical distinction between regional and national institutional accrediting agencies (Department of Education, 2019).
According to the Department:
“The final regulations remove geographic boundaries from institutional accrediting agencies.”
The revised regulations shifted the Department’s recognition process toward evaluating accrediting agencies based on their compliance with federal recognition criteria rather than geographic service areas (Department of Education, 2019).
The Department’s 2026 Interpretation
In February 2026, the Department issued a proposed interpretive rule titled Clarification of the Appropriate Use of Terms “National” and “Regional” by Recognized Accrediting Agencies (Department of Education, 2026a).
The Department stated:
“The Department does not recognize accrediting agencies as ‘regional’ accreditors.” (Department of Education, 2026a)
The Department further explained that the 2019 regulations effectively ended federal recognition of accrediting agencies as regional organizations beginning July 1, 2020. Instead, institutional accrediting agencies are recognized nationally by the Department of Education under the federal recognition process established in 34 C.F.R. Part 602 (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 2026).
The Department also expressed concern that continued use of the term regional accreditation may incorrectly imply that one category of federally recognized institutional accreditors possesses greater legal standing than another. Consequently, the Department maintains that federally recognized institutional accrediting agencies should no longer be distinguished as “regional” or “national” accrediting agencies for purposes of federal recognition.
What Students Should Consider
Although accreditation remains an essential factor when evaluating colleges and universities, students should recognize that institutional quality cannot be determined solely by historical accreditation terminology.
Instead, prospective students should evaluate institutions based on multiple considerations, including:
- Recognition by a federally recognized accrediting agency
- Programmatic accreditation where applicable
- Professional licensure requirements
- Transfer credit policies
- Academic quality
- Student outcomes
- Graduation rates
- Employer recognition
- Student support services
These factors provide a more comprehensive assessment of institutional quality than historical accreditation labels alone.
The distinction between regional and national accreditation has played an important role in American higher education for decades. Nevertheless, federal policy has evolved. The Department of Education no longer recognizes accrediting agencies as regional accreditors and has encouraged institutions to discontinue the use of terminology that no longer reflects the Department’s recognition framework.
Students should continue to carefully evaluate institutional accreditation, but they should also recognize that accreditation is only one component of institutional quality. Academic outcomes, programmatic accreditation, licensure eligibility, transfer policies, and student success remain critical factors when selecting a college or university.
References
20 U.S.C. § 1001. (2025). Institution of higher education. Cornell Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1001
Department of Education. (2019). Student assistance general provisions; the Secretary’s recognition of accrediting agencies; the Secretary’s recognition procedures for State agencies (84 Fed. Reg. 58834). Federal Register. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/11/01/2019-23129/student-assistance-general-provisions-the-secretarys-recognition-of-accrediting-agencies-the
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. (2026). 34 C.F.R. Part 602—The Secretary’s recognition of accrediting agencies. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-602
Eaton, J. S. (2012). An overview of U.S. accreditation (3rd ed.). Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
U.S. Department of Education. (2026a). Clarification of the appropriate use of terms “national” and “regional” by recognized accrediting agencies (Proposed interpretive rule). Federal Register. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/17/2026-03074/clarification-of-the-appropriate-use-of-terms-national-and-regional-by-recognized-accrediting
