Press Releases

Wilson Reintroduces the Quality Higher Education Act

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, chair of the Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment, has reintroduced the Quality Higher Education Act, which enhances the accreditation system to ensure that colleges are graduating students with meaningful degrees and preparing them for workplace success. The legislation includes measures that would require accreditors to set rigorous standards and performance benchmarks based on completion and workforce participation for the schools they oversee; disaggregate student data to make it clear whether colleges are serving all students well, including minority students and those from low-income families; and require accreditors to be more transparent about how they evaluate schools.

Each year, 13 million students receive roughly $130 billion in federal aid to help finance their higher educations. Unfortunately, only 58 percent of those students manage to complete their degree within six years. Students who don't graduate are more likely to default on their loans, endangering their long-term financial stability.

"Accreditation plays an important role in helping students make informed decisions about where to go to college. For many, this is one of the most important decisions of their lives," said Congresswoman Wilson. "Students trust that an accredited institution can furnish them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their chosen career field. Given the high cost of a higher education and unprecedented levels of student debt, it is vitally important that all schools meet high-quality standards to retain accreditation, and that if they're not adequality serving all student populations, it's clear to them and prospective students what they must do to improve."

The legislation is sponsored by Representatives Joyce Beatty (OH-3), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Danny K. Davis (IL07), Jahana Hayes (CT-5), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), David Trone (MD-06), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

The Quality Higher Education Act has been endorsed by the Center for American Progress, Third Way, New America, Higher Learning Advocates, and The Education Trust. A fact sheet can be found here.

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