Non-Federal Negotiators Prepping for the Final Negotiations On Sweeping Changes to Accreditation Proposed by the Department

Overview
In preparation for the second, and final, session of the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Federal Negotiated Rulemaking the Department of Education distributed a revised, 173 pages. document entitled “AIM Draft Regulations 2.0 Updated (us.list-manage.com/ObK8JciVTof?e=05bce952ad&c2id=828e2f13ae2569477ba2b7da4ef30812) ” to the Non-Federal negotiators for review.

The new version of the extensive revisions to all facets of accreditation does include several changes based upon the first week of negotiations, but many key observations and recommendations presented by members of the AIM Committee which could prevent the representatives from supporting consensus remain.

CSPEN is in the process of thoroughly reviewing the updated proposal and sharing our comments with a number of the non-federal negotiators as they prepare for next week’s meeting.

What’s Next
CSPEN will be in attendance at all of next week’s negotiations to monitor the deliberations in real time. We will attempt to provide summaries of each day’s proceedings, but please keep in mind – as we have witnessed in prior negotiations – the process is very fluid during these negotiations and things change quickly (e.g. the major shift in the Earnings Accountability proposals overnight).

If you are interested in watching the negotiations, you can register to attend the meetings virtually here (us.list-manage.com/Yh_a91r0Is8?e=05bce952ad&c2id=828e2f13ae2569477ba2b7da4ef30812) .

In Other News
Yesterday, CSPEN was made aware of a new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report, published April 14, 2026, and release to the public on Monday, May 11, 2026, providing new information on the increase in Pell Grant recipients following the Department’s completion of FAFSA revisions mandated under the FAFSA Simplification law.

The report (GAO-26-107928), entitled “Pell Grants: Overall Student Eligibility Increased After Free Application for Federal Student Aid Simplification,” is now available on the GAO website (us.list-manage.com/aaL3wkSt6gZ?e=05bce952ad&c2id=828e2f13ae2569477ba2b7da4ef30812) and includes links to Highlights, the full report, and GAO contact.

The Fast Facts, as provided by the GAO indicate,

The Pell Grant program is the largest source of federal grant aid supporting student access to higher education. Student eligibility for Pell Grants increased for school year 2024–25, after the Department of Education simplified the student aid application and updated eligibility criteria.
We found that 9.9 million students were eligible for a Pell Grant in 2024-25. Compared to the prior year:
* 6% more students were eligible for Pell Grants
* 31% more students were eligible for the maximum award
* Much of the increase in eligibility was among students with household incomes of $60,001-$125,000.