Under California state law, higher education institutions must receive accreditation to be eligible for state resources and professional licensures. Accreditors review institutions’ policies and curricula to certify that they meet a specified level of quality for all higher education institutions. This accreditation makes students eligible for financial aid, student loans, and deems that a degree or certificate that they earn from the institution meets a federally recognized standard.
This bill provides a temporary safeguard for California institutions of higher education in light of concerns about changes to the federal accreditation landscape. The bill specifies that as of January 1, 2026, any national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as of January 1, 2025, will retain that recognition in California until July 1, 2029, so long as the accrediting agency continues to operate in substantially the same manner as it did on January 1, 2025. The bill also amends Education Code section 66010 to align the definition of “independent institutions of higher education” with this recognition timeline.
(SB 744 amends and repeals section 66010 of the Education Code and adds and repeals section 144.7 of the Business and Professions Code.)