Jennifer D. DeMay

October 7, 2026 by Katherine D. Brodie

Coalition of 23 State Attorneys General Opposes Proposed Federal Higher Education Accreditation Overhaul

By Katherine D. Brodie, Edward Cramp, Anthony J. Guida Jr., Kristina Gill, Daniel R. Walworth and Jen DeMay

On August 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education published a proposed Accreditation, Innovation and Modernization Rule that includes sweeping changes to the federal regulations governing the recognition and oversight of accrediting agencies under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The proposed rule largely implements Executive Order 14279, “Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education,” which directed the Department to modernize accreditation standards and reduce regulatory barriers. On September 21, 2026, 23 state attorneys general submitted public comment asserting that the proposed rule is likely to lead to harm to institutions of higher education, students and accrediting agencies, including by incentivizing lowered accreditation standards and oversight.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

June 29, 2026September 16, 2026 by Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Federal Court Stays Department of Education’s Narrowed Definition of “Professional Degree” for Graduate Student Loan Limits

By Anthony J. Guida Jr., Katherine D. Brodie, Jen DeMay, Kristina Gill and John M. Simpson

On June 24, 2026—just one week before the July 1, 2026, effective date of the new student loan limits—the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a significant ruling in American Association of Nurse Practitioners v. McMahon and the consolidated case PA Education Association v. Department of Education, staying in part implementation of the U.S. Department of Education’s new regulatory definition of “professional degree.” The stay prevents the Department from enforcing its narrowed definition, which would have limited the categories of graduate students eligible for higher federal student loan limits under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”), pending resolution of the litigation.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

February 4, 2026July 13, 2026 by Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Public Comment Period Open on Proposed Rulemaking to Amend Federal Student Loan Programs

On January 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend regulations for federal student loan programs based on the recent enactment of HR 1 (P.L. 1119-21), sometimes referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the “Reconciliation Act”). The Department established two negotiated rulemaking committees for the implementation of the Reconciliation Act. The first committee, the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee, reached consensus on November 6, 2025, on the entire package of loan-related changes, including federal student-loan limits, repayment plans and the elimination of the Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan program.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.