As higher education bureaucracy comes under scrutiny nationally, Louisiana’s public universities might soon be allowed to seek alternatives to the accreditor that has evaluated institutions in the state for over a century.

The potential change comes as some conservative leaders like President Donald Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry criticize excess spending in higher education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Some administrators say, however, that the problems with accreditation lie less with DEI and more with the inefficiency of a geography-based system.

Senate Bill 304 would permit public universities to break with their longstanding accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACS. The bill follows the recommendations of a task force Landry created last year to review accreditation in the state and consider membership in the newly founded Commission for Public Higher Education.

At the time he created the task force, Landry said CPHE could be “an alternative to the out-of-touch accreditation system” and that “this task force will ensure Louisiana’s public universities move away from DEI-driven mandates and toward a system rooted in merit-based achievement.”

That alarmed some faculty and higher education advocates, who feared it would impose a political agenda on the accreditation process.

Now, as the Legislature considers SB304, supporters are talking less about political motives. Instead, they say the current system of regional accreditors is obsolete — and that accreditors need to focus more on how universities can operate efficiently.

Cameron Howell, senior adviser at the newly founded commission, urged the public to review its educational standards, which he says are in line with common higher education practices.

“I think what you’ll see is a small-C conservative approach to achieve efficiencies, to lower costs and to make for a process that is less burdensome,” he said.

“That, I don’t think, is about politics,” he added.

And some state and federal leaders say it might no longer make sense to have regional accreditors. Instead, they argue the organizations should be focused on the type of institution — in this case, public universities.

“We moved from geography, everybody being SACS, to having a broader ability if they are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed.

Why does accreditation matter?

Accreditation is the process of evaluating schools to ensure they meet acceptable education standards. Universities that are not accredited by an approved organization cannot receive federal financial aid dollars.

The Southern Association of Colleges accredits 41 institutions in Louisiana and hundreds more throughout the South, according to February 2026 organizational data. LSU has held continuous accreditation from the organization since 1913.

The association did not respond to a request for comment.

Though the bill under consideration in the Legislature does not mention the Commission for Public Higher Education specifically, it comes up frequently when the bill is discussed. Landry’s task force also recommended Louisiana join and gain a board seat on the organization.

The commission was launched in 2025 by institutions in six southern states: the State University System of Florida, the University System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina System, the University of South Carolina System, the Texas A&M University System and the University of Tennessee System.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis heralded the commission when it was unveiled in June last year as “an alternative that will break the ideological stronghold” and end “the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly.”

The organization itself does not claim a political ideology. Howell said its standards adhere to conventional norms in the higher education sector.

He said the commission’s goal is to save universities money in the accreditation process and maximize efficiency, which he argued the commission can achieve by specializing in working with public institutions.

“Having a regional approach to something made sense operationally and economically,” Howell said. “We work in a world now where travel and communication are easier to bridge over long distances and where we can go about devising accreditation on the basis of public mission.”

Higher education standards

President Donald Trump made overhauling higher education bureaucracy a focus of his education department, issuing an executive order in April 2025 that urged increased competition in the accreditation sphere, prioritization of intellectual diversity among faculty and lower costs for students.

Louisiana’s accreditation reform will align with both Trump and Landry’s interests, Reed said.

SB304 “was a result of the governor’s executive order saying we want to support the Trump administration’s interest in broadening competition around accreditors,” Reed said.

Though sometimes juxtaposed politically, SACS and CPHE do not contain references to politics in their accreditation standards (in CPHE’s case, draft accreditation standards, as the commission is not yet formally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education).

They share criteria on institutional integrity, sound finances and a commitment to “continuous improvement.” Both include references to academic freedom, though CPHE goes a step further to include a standard for “intellectual diversity.”

The proposed law mandates that universities must be accredited through an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, so Louisiana’s institutions would need to maintain their SACS accreditation for the time being even if it passes.

CPHE plans to finalize its application by summer 2027, Howell said, with the timeline for approval then set by the U.S. Department of Education.