SEC. 2. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON INSTITU-
TIONAL QUALITY AND INTEGRITY. 
Paragraph (1) of section 114(c) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011c(c)) is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(1) advise the Secretary with respect to— 
‘‘(A) the establishment and enforcement of 
the standards of accrediting agencies or asso-
ciations under subpart 2 of part H of title IV 
and how such standards relate to programs 
under such title; 
‘‘(B) participation in Federal recognition 
reviews (including on-site inspections and re-
views of institutions of higher education and 
unannounced site visits) of accrediting agencies 
or associations, including through document re-
quests that are considered part of the petitions 
for recognition of such accrediting agencies or 
associations under section 496; and 
‘‘(C) whether to recognize an accrediting 
agency or association under section 496;’’. 
SEC. 3. INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OF ACCREDITATION 
SYSTEM. 
Section 496 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1099b) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (n)(1)— 
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(A) in the matter before subparagraph (A), 
by inserting ‘‘and data and evidence compiled 
by the Department of Education’’ before the 
second period; 
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
and (B) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respec-
tively; 
(C) by inserting before subparagraph (B), 
as redesignated by subparagraph (B), the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) prior to the solicitation of third-party 
information concerning the performance of the 
accrediting agency or association under sub-
paragraph (B), the public comments received by 
the Secretary pursuant to subsection (r)(1) with 
respect to the petition of the accrediting agency 
or association to be recognized under this sec-
tion;’’; 
(D) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated 
by subparagraph (B), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(E) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) any data the Department of Edu-
cation has previously collected with respect to 
the performance of the institutions of higher 
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education that the accrediting agency or asso-
ciation accredits, including— 
‘‘(i) any action taken by the accred-
iting agency or association to limit an in-
stitution of higher education, such as re-
strictions on enrollment or other sub-
stantive changes; 
‘‘(ii) any action taken by an accred-
iting agency or association to address the 
retention, course completion, or graduation 
rates of an institution of higher education; 
‘‘(iii) student achievement data at 
such institutions of higher education; 
‘‘(iv) findings under completed pro-
gram and audit reviews of such institutions 
of higher education; and 
‘‘(v) a record of such institutions of 
higher education that fail to meet the fi-
nancial responsibility requirements under 
section 486(d)(2)(C)(i); 
‘‘(E) a summary record of other actions 
(including initial and reaffirmations of accredi-
tation, substantive changes, monitoring, warn-
ing, probation, show cause, or limits placed on 
an institution of higher education accredited by 
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the accrediting agency or association, such as 
limits on enrollment) taken by the accrediting 
agency or association and an explanation for 
such actions; and 
‘‘(F) conducted at least once annually, an 
enhanced review of the standards of any accred-
iting agency or association that accredited an 
institution of higher education— 
‘‘(i) which was the subject of an inves-
tigation, settlement, or adverse judgement 
by a Federal or State authority for a viola-
tion pertaining to fraud or abuse, deceptive 
practices, or material harm to students en-
rolled or previously enrolled at such insti-
tution of higher education; or 
‘‘(ii) that closed without a teach-out 
agreement.’’; 
(2) in subsection (o), by inserting ‘‘(including 
limitations on accrediting agencies or associations)’’ 
before ‘‘and for the appeal’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(r) TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) NOTICE AND COMMENT.—The Secretary 
shall, with respect to each petition made by an ac-
crediting agency or association to receive recognition 
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under this section, make publicly available on the 
website of the Department of Education for pur-
poses of public notice and comment, the following: 
‘‘(A) Such petition. 
‘‘(B) With respect to each institution of 
higher education accredited by the accrediting 
agency or association that made such petition, 
a record of student complaints received by, or 
available to, such accrediting agency or associa-
tion. 
‘‘(C) A record of investigations, lawsuits, 
settlements, or adverse judgments by a Federal 
or State authority for a violation relating to 
fraud or abuse, deceptive practices, or material 
harm to students enrolled or previously enrolled 
at each institution of higher education accred-
ited by such accrediting agency or association. 
‘‘(D) Any negative action against an insti-
tution of higher education accredited by such 
accrediting agency or association. 
‘‘(E) Any documents of such accrediting 
agency or association requested by the Sec-
retary for purposes of review by the National 
Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality 
and Integrity under section 114. 
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‘‘(F) Such other information as the Sec-
retary determines appropriate. 
‘‘(2) ACCREDITING
AGENCY
OR
ASSOCIATION 
DOCUMENTS.—The Secretary shall establish and 
maintain on the website of the Department of Edu-
cation the following: 
‘‘(A) All final documents produced in an 
accrediting agency or association review of in-
stitutions of higher education accredited by 
such accrediting agency or association, includ-
ing on-site inspection and unannounced site 
visit reports, substantive change reviews and 
decisions, decision letters, and all other final 
documents that the Secretary determines appro-
priate. 
‘‘(B) All final documents produced by the 
Secretary in determining whether an accrediting 
agency or association is recognized under this 
section, including— 
‘‘(i) a summary of any deficiencies 
found with respect to such an accrediting 
agency or association; and 
‘‘(ii) the rationale for recognition or 
denial of such an accrediting agency or as-
sociation. 
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‘‘(C) Aggregate outcome data for institu-
tions of higher education accredited by each ac-
crediting agency or association.’’. 
Æ 
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