The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity: Overview and Resources
This page contains facts and resources about the role the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity plays within the accreditation system.
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This page will be updated with new information on meeting dates, staff reports, and other relevant materials on NACIQI and accreditation as released. It was last updated on June 29, 2022.
In order for a college or university to receive federal student aid, such as Pell Grants and student loans, it must be accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In this way, accrediting agencies play a vital role in guarding taxpayer dollars as well as in ensuring academic quality. Through the recognition process, the department can assess how well an accrediting agency has fulfilled this role. The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) represents an important part of that process.
Established under Section 114 of the Higher Education Act, NACIQI is an independent bipartisan advisory body that evaluates accreditors and ensures the academic quality of institutions of higher education. The committee reviews 62 agencies at least once every five years and uses the department’s final report, supporting documents, and comments made at each public committee meeting to make recommendations to the secretary of education on each accreditor’s recognition application.
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However, this process is often confusing for both the participants and members of NACIQI. Some of this confusion stems from recent changes made to the accreditation process by former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and others in the Trump administration. The committee has taken steps to make better use of data in assessing accreditor performance through the creation of accreditor dashboards and other initiatives; however, NACIQI could play a stronger role in the recognition process if Congress or the department granted it more authority.
This page provides an overview of the role NACIQI plays within the accreditation system and provides the information needed to stay up to date on meetings, staff analyses, regulations, and other resources to get involved.
When does NACIQI meet?
NACIQI meets twice per year, usually in the winter and summer. NACIQI meetings are published on the Federal Register website. This publication must occur at least 30 days before the meeting is scheduled to take place. An archive of all NACIQI meetings is available here.
Summer 2022 meeting (virtual)
- Dates: July 19–22, 2022
- Federal Register publication: “Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purposes of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education A Notice by the Education Department,” July 12, 2021
- Public comments
- Oral and written comment submission link
- Requests to provide oral comments should be submitted by email to ThirdPartyComments@ed.gov and are due the day of the renewal of the accrediting agency.
- Meeting agenda
- Agencies up for review
- Association for Biblical Higher Education
Title IV (permits access to federal financial aid); institutional
- American Occupational Therapy Association
Non-Title IV (does not permit access to federal financial aid); specialized/programmatic
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
Non-Title IV (does not permit access to federal financial aid); programmatic
- Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
Non-Title IV (does not permit access to federal financial aid); specialized/programmatic
- American Dental Association
Non-Title IV (does not permit access to federal financial aid); specialized/programmatic
- Distance Education Accrediting Commission
Title IV (permits access to federal financial aid); institutional
- Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools
Title IV (permits access to federal financial aid); institutional
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Title IV (permits access to federal financial aid); institutional
- New York State Board of Regents
Institutional; public postsecondary vocational education; practical nursing
- Association for Biblical Higher Education
- Departmental staff reports
- Accreditor dashboards (July 2022)
Winter 2022 meeting (virtual)
- Dates: February 23–24, 2022
- Federal Register publication: “Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purposes of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education A Notice by the Education Department,” January 22, 2021
- Meeting agenda
- Reviewed agencies
- American Podiatric Medical Association
- Title IV (permits access to federal financial aid); specialized/programmatic
- Council on Chiropractic Education
- Title IV (permits access to federal financial aid); specialized/programmatic
- Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
- Non-Title IV (does not permit access to federal financial aid); specialized/programmatic
- Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
- Title IV (permits access to federal financial aid); specialized/programmatic
- North Dakota Board of Nursing
- Programmatic
- Departmental staff reports
- NACIQI Report of Meeting February 23-24 2022
What happens before a NACIQI meeting?
Prior to a NACIQI meeting, the department provides members of the committee with the following information:
- An accrediting agency’s application, such as recognition or renewal, or compliance report
- The final departmental staff analysis of the agency’s application, which may include reviews of complaints and legal actions, reviews of agency documents, and information gathered from site visits, among other things
- Third-party written comments that the department received
- The accrediting agency’s response to the department’s draft analysis and response to third-party comments
- Information that may have been used in forming the department’s analysis
The department must also publish a notice inviting oral comments in the Federal Register at least 30 days in advance of the NACIQI meeting.
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What happens after a NACIQI meeting?
After a NACIQI meeting, the committee sends its recommendation to the senior department official, as appointed by the secretary of education to make decisions regarding recognition of an agency. A recommendation may include approving an application for recognition or renewal, suspending or terminating recognition, or requiring a compliance report.
An accrediting agency and department staff also have the opportunity to submit written comments to the senior department official. These comments must be based on NACIQI’s recommendation and meet certain parameters. In addition, comments submitted by an accrediting agency or department staff must be submitted to the senior department official, and to one another, within 10 business days of the NACIQI meeting.
NACIQI’s membership comprises 18 members: six, including a student member, chosen by the secretary of education, six chosen by the U.S. House of Representatives, and six chosen by the U.S. Senate. To ensure balance, half the members selected by Congress are nominated by the minority, and the other half are selected by the majority.
- Ronnie L. Booth, former president, Tri-County Technical College, Anderson, South Carolina
Appointed by secretary of education; nominated by Secretary Betsy DeVos; term ends September 30, 2025 - Wallace E. Boston, president emeritus, American Public University System Inc., Charles Town, West Virginia
Appointed by secretary of education; nominated by Secretary Betsy DeVos; term ends September 30, 2025 - David A. Eubanks, assistant vice president for assessment and institutional effectiveness, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina
Appointed by secretary of education; nominated by Secretary Betsy DeVos; term ends September 30, 2025 - Molly Hall-Martin, student member, University of Iowa, Coralville, Iowa
Appointed by secretary of education; nominated by Secretary Miguel Cardona; terms ends September 30, 2025 - Michael Lindsay, president, Taylor University, Upland, Indiana
Appointed by secretary of education; nominated by Secretary Betsy DeVos; terms ends September 30, 2025 - Mary Ellen Petrisko, former president, Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission, Pittsburgh
Appointed by secretary of education; nominated by Secretary Betsy DeVos; terms ends September 30, 2025 - Kathleen Sullivan Alioto, strategic adviser, fundraiser, and consultant, New York, San Francisco, and Boston
Appointed by speaker of the House of Representatives; nominated by House Democrats; term ends September 30, 2026 - Roslyn Clark Artis, president, Benedict College, Columbia, South Carolina
Appointed by speaker of the House of Representatives; nominated by House Democrats; term ends September 30, 2026 - Jennifer Blum, principal, Blum Higher Education Advising PLLC, Washington, D.C.
Appointed by speaker of the House of Representatives; nominated by House Republicans; term ends September 30, 2026 - Arthur E. Keiser, chancellor, Keiser University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Appointed by speaker of the House of Representatives; nominated by House Republicans; term ends September 30, 2026 - Robert Mayes Jr., CEO, Columbia Southern Education Group, Elberta, Alabama
Appointed by speaker of the House of Representatives; nominated by House Democrats; term ends September 30, 2026 - Robert Shireman, director of higher education excellence and senior fellow, The Century Foundation, Berkeley, California
Appointed by speaker of the House of Representatives; nominated by House Democrats; term ends September 30, 2026 - Jill Derby, senior consultant, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, Gardnerville, Nevada
Appointed by president pro tempore of the Senate; nominated by Senate Democrats; term ends September 30, 2022 - Michael Poliakoff, president, American Council of Trustees and Alumni, Washington, D.C.
Appointed by president pro tempore of the Senate; nominated by Senate Republicans; term ends September 30, 2022 - Claude O. Pressnell Jr., president, Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association, Nashville, Tennessee
Appointed by president pro tempore of the Senate; nominated by Senate Republicans; term ends September 30, 2022 - Steven Van Ausdle, president emeritus, Walla Walla Community College, Walla Walla, Washington
Appointed by president pro tempore of the Senate; nominated by Senate Democrats; term ends September 30, 2022 - Vacant
- Vacant
What happens after the senior department official receives NACIQI’s recommendation?
Once the senior department official receives NACIQI’s recommendation and other relevant materials—such as transcripts and written comments—also known as the record, the senior department official makes a decision to:
- Approve an application for recognition based on an accrediting agency’s compliance with the criteria for recognition. The recognition period may not exceed five years.
- Limit, suspend, deny, or terminate recognition if the accrediting agency fails to comply with the criteria for recognition. The senior department official must specify the reasons for denying, limiting, terminating, or suspending an accrediting agency’s recognition.
- Continue an accrediting agency’s recognition and require the agency to submit a compliance report for review if the official believes that an agency is noncompliant but can show compliance in the future. Usually, the agency must submit the report within one year, although it may be granted a longer timeline if the official can show good cause or exceptional circumstances.
- Continue recognition but require monitoring reports if the official believes that the accrediting agency is compliant with the criteria for recognition but is concerned about the ability of the accrediting agency to continue its compliance.
- Grant or deny an accrediting agency’s request for an expansion of scope.
- Revise or reaffirm an agency’s scope.
The senior department official must notify the agency in writing within 90 days of the NACIQI meeting with their decision regarding the agency’s recognition, although certain exceptions may apply, such as lack of funding or insufficient number of members.
Unless an accrediting agency appeals, the senior department official’s decision represents the final decision on behalf of the secretary of education.
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What happens if an agency appeals the senior department official’s decision?
If an agency appeals the senior department official’s decision, the following steps are taken:
- Within 10 business days of receiving the official’s decision, the accrediting agency must notify, in writing, both the secretary of education and the senior department official of the agency’s intent to appeal.
- Within 30 business days of receiving the decision, the accrediting agency must submit its appeal to the secretary of education in writing.
- Within 30 days of receiving the appeal, the senior department official may submit a written response to an agency’s appeal.
In making a final decision, the secretary of education will consider the accrediting agency’s appeal; the senior department official’s response, if submitted; the senior department official’s decision; and the record the senior department official reviewed in reaching their decision. The secretary of education may refer a matter back to the senior department official under certain circumstances. An accrediting agency may only challenge the secretary’s final decision through the federal courts.
- “Higher ed groups call for stricter oversight of accreditors,” Higher Ed Dive
- “ED Should Revive NACIQI’s Accreditor Dashboards,” New America
- “Education Department Hearing Exposes Divisions on Higher Ed Abuses,” Republic Report
- “Brighten the Federal Spotlight on College Accreditation,” The Century Foundation
- “Should This College Accreditor Be In Charge of Assessing Educational Quality,” Third Way
- “Letter From 12 Organizations to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity,” Veterans Education Success
- “Student Assistance General Provisions, The Secretary’s Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, The Secretary’s Recognition Procedures for State Agencies,” Federal Register
- “An Overview of Accreditation of Higher Education in the United States,” Congressional Research Service
- “Accreditation Handbook,” U.S. Department of Education
- “Accreditation: Postsecondary Education Institutions,” U.S. Department of Education
- “Greater Transparency of Accrediting Agency Recognition,” U.S. Department of Education
- “History and Context of Accreditation in the United States,” U.S. Department of Education
- “Institutional Accrediting Agencies,” U.S. Department of Education
- “Overview of Accreditation in the United States,” U.S. Department of Education
- Database of Postsecondary Institutions and Programs, U.S. Department of Education
- Accreditation Database, Council for Higher Education Accreditation
- Information on accreditation regulations 2020, Federal Register
- Webinar: “New Accreditation Regulations: New recognition process, standards, recognition criteria, and implementation timeframes,” Kaltura
- Webinar: “New Accreditation Regulations: Substantive change, compliance, timeframes, additional locations, alternate standards, and student outcomes,” Kaltura
- Webinars: “New Accreditation Regulations: Teach outs, closures, state authorization, and a bit more on additional locations,” Kaltura
This resource page has been published with contributions from Marissa Alayna Navarro and Jared C. Bass.
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