(13) The Federal Government should have uni-
form standards to determine, for Federal purposes, 
the legitimacy of degrees, diplomas, certifications, 
and degree-granting institutions. 
(14) This Act is necessary to prevent the use of 
fraudulent degrees for Federal purposes, and to ex-
pand Federal authority to investigate and penalize 
operators of diploma mills. 
SEC. 4. RECOGNIZED ACCREDITING AGENCIES AND INSTI-
TUTIONS. 
(a) LISTS MAINTAINED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF 
EDUCATION.—Not later than 30 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education 
shall make available (in a regularly updated, electronic 
format) to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, a list of— 
(1) accrediting agencies and associations, recog-
nized by the Secretary of Education under section 
496 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1099b), or by the Council for Higher Edu-
cation Accreditation; 
(2) eligible institutions, as defined under section 
435(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1085(a)); and 
(3) foreign degree-granting institutions that— 
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(A) have degree-granting authority, as 
granted by the appropriate agency or ministry 
of jurisdiction in the home country of such in-
stitution; 
(B) issue degrees that are accepted for 
professional licensure, public employment, and 
admission into graduate programs of degree- 
granting institutions in the home country (as 
determined by the Secretary of State); 
(C) are determined by the Secretary of 
Education to be academically equivalent to an 
eligible institution, as defined in section 435(a) 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1085(a)); and 
(D) are located in a home country that is 
capable of performing an effective academic 
evaluation of the degree-granting institutions to 
which it issues degree-granting authority, as de-
termined by the Secretary of State, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Education, 
for the purposes of allowing the Secretary of Homeland 
Security and the heads of such Federal agencies to deter-
mine, for immigration and Federal employment and hiring 
purposes, the legitimacy of degree-granting institutions 
and degrees issued by such institutions. 
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(b) REVISIONS TO LISTS.—The Secretary of Edu-
cation shall modify and maintain the lists described in 
subsection (a) as necessary to ensure that the lists and 
the information contained in the lists are accurate and up- 
to-date, based on the most recent information available to 
the Secretary. 
(c) NOTICE OF RECOGNITION.—To be eligible to re-
ceive funds under title IV of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965, each eligible institution described in subsection 
(a)(2) shall, not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, prominently display on the institu-
tion’s Internet website a notice indicating that the institu-
tion is recognized by the Secretary of Education as a le-
gitimate degree-granting institution for immigration and 
Federal employment and hiring purposes. If the Secretary 
of Education determines that an institution no longer 
qualifies as a legitimate degree-granting institutions de-
scribed in subsection (a)(2), and removes the institution 
from the list maintained under such subsection, the insti-
tution shall, not later than 15 days after the removal of 
the institution from such list, delete the notice required 
by this subsection from the institution’s Internet website. 
SEC. 5. ACCREDITING AGENCIES. 
No accrediting agency or association may be consid-
ered to be a reliable authority as to the quality of edu-
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