SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This request for written third-party comments concerning the performance of an accrediting agency under review by the Secretary of Education is required by Section 496(n)(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1001, et seq. (HEA), and pertains to the second meeting in 2027 of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The meeting date will be announced in a later Federal Register notice and will describe how to register to provide oral comments at the meeting. Written comments submitted in response to this Federal Register notice must be submitted to the electronic mail address identified below on or before the comment due date.

Agency Under Review and Evaluation: The Department requests written comments from the public on the following accrediting agency, which is currently undergoing review and evaluation by the Accreditation Group, and which will potentially be reviewed at the second 2027 NACIQI meeting.

The agency has submitted an application for initial recognition. Please note, the agency's requested scope of recognition is indicated below.

Application for Initial Recognition

1. Postsecondary Commission. Requested Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary institutions, including degree and non-degree-granting institutions offering undergraduate certificates, undergraduate degrees, postgraduate certificates, and graduate degrees (master's, doctoral, and Ph.D.). This includes the accreditation of programs offered via distance education at those institutions. Jointly with the Commission, this recognition extends to the Appeals Panel for accreditation decisions under appeal. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: Throughout the United States.

Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency Under Review

Written comments in response to this Federal Register notice about the ( printed page 35974) recognition of the accrediting agency listed above must be received on or before the comment due date, in the ThirdPartyComments@ed.gov mailbox. Please include in the subject line “Written Comments: (agency name).” The electronic mail (email) must include the name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the person(s) making the comment. Comments should be submitted as a PDF, Microsoft Word document, or in a medium compatible with Microsoft Word that is attached to an email or provided in the body of an email message. Comments about an agency that has submitted a petition for initial recognition must relate to the agency's compliance with the Secretary's Criteria for Recognition of accrediting agencies, which are available at: https://www.ecfr.gov/​current/​title-34/​subtitle-B/​chapter-VI/​part-602?​toc=​1.

Only written materials submitted by the deadline to the email address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in their deliberations. Comments about the agency listed in this Federal Register notice may also be provided orally at the second 2027 NACIQI meeting, which has not yet been scheduled, but which will be announced in a future Federal Register notice.

Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register . Free internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: https://www.govinfo.gov/​. At this site, you can view this document, as well as all other documents of the Department published in the Federal Register , in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at: www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.

Authority:20 U.S.C. 1099b; 20 U.S.C. 1011c.

91 FR 35973