Thursday, October 1, 2015

Bipartisan Bill Creates Pilot Program for Alternative Accreditation Process - Senator Michael Bennet

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today introduced a bill to create a voluntary, alternative system of accreditation for American colleges and universities as well as other providers of higher education. The Higher Education Innovation Act creates a new authorization pathway for accessing federal financial aid, such as Pell grants. Innovative schools that offer a high-quality education and have a proven track record of successfully helping students graduate, obtain jobs, and pay back their student loans could participate in this metrics-based authorization process in place of the burdensome input-focused accreditation process. The bill would also allow higher education providers that currently are ineligible to receive federal student aid to access federal financial aid if they demonstrate high student outcomes, including student learning, completion, and return on investment. http://www.bennet.senate.gov/?p=release&id=3468