THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
The Education Department froze growth at two national accreditors rather than pulling recognition, and a new state-backed accreditor approved its first university.
The DPT stays on ED's interim professional-degree list, keeping access to the higher $50,000 annual loan limit while lawsuits continue.
Action item: Public comments on the proposed $70,000 OPT fee for international graduates are due Nov 9.
Across Higher Ed
ACCREDITATION | POLICY
ED Freezes Growth at Two National Accreditors Instead of Derecognizing Them
On Oct 21, Under Secretary Nicholas Kent barred the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), which accredits more than 1,000 mostly cosmetology programs and institutions, from adding members, halting about 300 pending applications. NACCAS now has 12 months to resolve more than a dozen compliance findings, even though the federal advisory committee NACIQI voted 9-3 in July to end its recognition. Kent imposed the same freeze on the Council on Occupational Education, going further than NACIQI had recommended. It is the second time this year he has stopped short of a NACIQI derecognition vote, after granting the naturopathic accreditor a one-year conditional extension in June.
Why it matters: ED is now using membership freezes and monitoring as enforcement tools. Every accreditor under federal scrutiny, including CAPTE, which ED told in March to file two monitoring reports, is operating in this climate.
Sources: Inside Higher Ed, Higher Ed Dive
POLICY
Admissions Scrutiny Widens: Ohio State Medicine Finding, UNC Settlement
The Justice Department said on Oct 21 that Ohio State's College of Medicine favored Black and Hispanic applicants, pointing to reviewers who could see applicants' race and a socioeconomic scale it called a race proxy; Ohio State says it does not consider race and will contest the finding. It is the administration's 10th finding against a medical or law school this year, with 20 similar investigations still open. Separately, UNC-Chapel Hill settled 18 Title VI investigations and a DOJ admissions review on Oct 19 without a payment. UNC agreed to appoint a civil rights administrator, limit admissions staff's access to applicants' race, end identity-based pipeline partnerships and report quarterly to DOJ through December 2028.
Why it matters: Health professions admissions are squarely in view. DPT admissions committees should document how holistic review criteria, pipeline programs and screener access to demographic data work, and confirm them with general counsel.
Sources: Inside Higher Ed, Higher Ed Dive
POLICY | ENROLLMENT | ACTION NEEDED
A Department of Homeland Security proposal would require SEVP-certified colleges to pay $70,000 before recommending a student for initial Optional Practical Training, and $30,000 for any later OPT period such as a STEM extension. Colleges could pass the cost to students or employers, and the fee would apply to recommendations made after a final rule takes effect. OPT participation roughly doubled over a decade to about 294,000, around a quarter of F-1 students, according to an Inside Higher Ed analysis. General comments are due Nov 9 on Regulations.gov (docket ICEB-2026-0100).
Why it matters: Programs that recruit international students or rely on international graduates in clinical and research roles should brief their international office, and faculty who want a say can comment before Nov 9.
Sources: Federal Register, Inside Higher Ed
POLICY | DATA
Earnings Test Analysis: Certificates Most at Risk, Graduate Programs Mostly Safe
A Validated Insights analysis of federal data projects that 29% of undergraduate certificate programs would fail the new earnings test created by last year's budget law, compared with 1.2% of bachelor's programs and 4% of master's programs. Clinical mental health counseling master's programs fail at 38%, while no nursing programs fail at any level. Graduate programs are judged against the earnings of bachelor's degree holders in the same state. ED plans its first calculations in early 2027, and programs that fail two of three years lose federal loan access, possibly as soon as 2028-29.
Why it matters: The analysis does not name PT, but every graduate program will be measured. Ask institutional research for an early estimate for your DPT and any certificate or PTA programs before ED's first run.
Source: Higher Ed Dive
ACCREDITATION
New Accreditor CPHE Approves Its First University
The Commission for Public Higher Education, launched in 2025, made its first accrediting decision, approving Florida Polytechnic University. CPHE is not federally recognized, so its approval alone does not make a college eligible for federal student aid; Florida Poly will keep its accreditation from the Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC) until CPHE completes a multiyear recognition process. At least 10 institutions in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas have filed letters of intent with CPHE.
Why it matters: A change of institutional accreditor affects the setting that programmatic accreditors such as CAPTE review against. Faculty at public universities in these states should ask whether their institution is considering a switch.
Sources: Inside Higher Ed, Higher Ed Dive
POLICY
DOJ and ED Declare Seven Civil Rights Guidance Documents Non-Enforceable
A joint notice published Oct 23 says seven DOJ-ED guidance documents from 2015 to 2023 do not create enforceable obligations and will not be relied on in enforcement. They include the August 2023 Dear Colleague letter and Q&A on the Supreme Court's admissions ruling, along with guidance on English learners, COVID-related harassment and racial discrimination in discipline. The documents are not formally rescinded; the departments say they will re-examine each one under the Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision.
Why it matters: Admissions and diversity practices built on the 2023 guidance's description of what remained permissible no longer have that federal backing. Review them against the statute and current case law.
Source: Federal Register
FINANCE | POLICY
Administration Drops Appeals on PSLF Employer Rule
The Justice Department moved on Oct 21 to dismiss two appeals defending the October 2025 rule that would have let the Education Secretary exclude employers engaged in what it deems illegal activity from Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Two federal judges had blocked the rule in June, so it stays vacated. A third appeal in the First Circuit is still pending, and the department could still write an amended rule.
Why it matters: Graduates working for nonprofit hospitals and clinics keep their current PSLF footing for now; advisers can tell students the employer restriction is not in effect.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
WORKFORCE | LEADERSHIP
Utah Audit Urges Easier Dismissal of Tenured Faculty
Utah's legislative auditor recommends that lawmakers consider streamlining for-cause dismissal of tenured faculty, bar institutions from offering more due process than state law requires, and have department chairs appointed by and accountable to administrators. Reviewing 666 post-tenure reviews under the state's 2024 law, auditors found only eight that rated teaching as needing improvement, and at least 40 rated satisfactory despite evidence of poor teaching. The University of Utah's AAUP chapter says the changes would weaken shared governance. The recommendations are advisory, and no legislative action has been taken.
Why it matters: Post-tenure review is spreading, and auditors are testing whether it has teeth. Faculty and chairs should make sure teaching evaluations rest on documented evidence, not routine satisfactory ratings.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
FINANCE
Syracuse and Maine Announce New Rounds of Cuts
Syracuse University launched a review of administrative and executive staff on Oct 22, following earlier cuts to 93 programs and early-retirement offers to about 175 faculty, after fall 2025 enrollment fell 3.5%. The University of Maine plans $6 million in nonacademic cuts, including layoffs, against a projected $19 million shortfall that could reach $41.1 million by 2030; academic affairs is also cutting $10 million, including 20% of vacant academic positions.
Why it matters: Even well-known institutions are cutting vacant faculty lines. Program directors should be ready to show enrollment, licensure outcomes and revenue data when budget reviews arrive.
In PT Education
FINANCE | POLICY
DPT Remains on ED's Interim Professional-Degree Loan List
Federal Student Aid updated its list of programs eligible for higher professional loan limits on Oct 23, adding naturopathic medicine after an Oregon federal court injunction. Physical therapy (DPT, CIP 51.2308) remains on the list, so DPT students can borrow at professional limits of $50,000 a year rather than the $20,500 graduate cap. The designations are interim: they hold only while court orders are in effect and may change as litigation proceeds. ED also suggests schools consider capping loans for these programs at graduate-level amounts to reduce disruption if classifications change.
Why it matters: Confirm with your financial aid office which limit it is applying to current and incoming DPT cohorts, and avoid promising applicants a specific borrowing ceiling while the litigation is unresolved.
Sources: Federal Student Aid, Inside Higher Ed
ACCREDITATION | CURRICULUM
CAPTE Board Meets This Week; Standards Revision Status
CAPTE holds its Fall Board Meeting Oct 29 to Nov 2. Its Call for Comment page still posts tracked-changes drafts of proposed revised PT and PTA Standards and Required Elements, with file names dated May 2026, but the linked comment survey is closed, and as of Oct 26 no new draft, deadline or listening-session dates had been posted. In March, ED directed CAPTE to formally eliminate its suspended DEI standards and file two monitoring reports, and CAPTE's chair had said the board would review a recommendation for revised standards at its October meeting.
Why it matters: Watch for board actions after Nov 2. Curriculum committees can compare course maps against the posted tracked-changes drafts now, so any changes can be planned once final standards are adopted.
Sources: CAPTE, CAPTE calendar, Higher Ed Dive
DATA | WORKFORCE
ACAPT Survey: NPTE Pass Rates Dip, Faculty Turnover Rises
ACAPT's 2026 Institutional Profile Survey shows the first-time NPTE pass rate fell to 82.8%, with wider variation among programs. Only 14% of programs reported no faculty departures, down from 28% in 2025, while core faculty held steady at about 12 per program. Median in-state tuition and fees reached $75,300, and program directors still report limited control over major financial decisions, though their confidence in budget negotiations improved.
Why it matters: These are useful benchmarks for program review, retention planning and tuition discussions with deans; compare your own pass rates and turnover against them.
Source: ACAPT
LICENSURE
FSBPT Meets; New Foreign-Credential Tools Set for 2028
FSBPT held its virtual Delegate Assembly on Oct 19 and its Annual Education Meeting Oct 22 to 24 in Greenville, SC, where board elections were scheduled. Its board has approved Coursework Tool 7 and PTA Tool 3, which assess whether foreign-educated PTs and PTAs have education equivalent to US entry-level degrees; they are based on CAPTE's 2023-adopted standards and take effect July 1, 2028. A task force has also published model ethics language for licensing boards, responding to regulators' concerns about the enforceability of APTA's 2025 Code of Ethics.
Why it matters: Faculty teaching ethics and professional practice should review the model language alongside APTA's code. Remind students that the next PT exam is Oct 27 to 28 and January registration deadlines start Dec 1.
Sources: FSBPT News Brief, FSBPT exam dates
ALSO WORTH KNOWING
Anti-DEI contractor order narrowed. A Maryland judge let the federal contractor certification stand but read it to cover only intentional illegal discrimination. Inside Higher Ed
ABA accreditor under antitrust pressure. DOJ and Texas are probing the ABA's law school accreditor, including its preference for full-time over adjunct faculty. Inside Higher Ed
Census changes draw higher ed objections. ACE and 18 groups warn a proposed Census overhaul would leave international students uncounted; comments close Nov 2. Inside Higher Ed
Student success push. ACE, AAU, APLU, AASCU and AACC launched the National Student Success Project with more than 50 founding institutions. Inside Higher Ed
Employers still value degrees. In a Lumina-Gallup survey of 2,500 hiring decision-makers, 48% expect AI to make degrees more important. Lumina Foundation
New HBCU medical school. Xavier University of Louisiana will open the nation's fifth HBCU medical school in 2027 with 50 seats. Inside Higher Ed
Subscriber Reads
Headlines from subscription sources, for readers with access.
Why U. of Minnesota Is Cutting $250 Million, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription)
Faculty Are Sharply Divided on Whether to Condemn Cornell's Administration, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription)
Ohio State's Medical School Discriminated in Admissions, Justice Department Says, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription)
Colleges Wait and See on CPT, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription)
By the Numbers
82.8% first-time NPTE pass rate (ACAPT 2026 survey)
29% of undergraduate certificates projected to fail the earnings test
$70,000 proposed fee per initial OPT recommendation
Sources: ACAPT, Higher Ed Dive, Federal Register
On the Horizon
Oct 27–28: NPTE for physical therapists, FSBPT
Oct 27–29: ASAHP Annual Conference, Nashville, ASAHP
Oct 29–Nov 2: CAPTE Fall Board Meeting, CAPTE
Nov 2: Comments close on proposed Census changes, Inside Higher Ed
Nov 3: JoPTE Journal Club, 4–5 p.m. ET, APTA Academy of Education
Nov 9: Action item: Comments due on proposed OPT fees, Federal Register
Nov 15: Academy of Education leadership nominations close, APTA Academy of Education
Dec 1: Registration deadline for the Jan 5–6 PTA exam, FSBPT
Dec 14: Comments due on ED survey of colleges' program closures, Federal Register
Dec 22: Registration deadline for the Jan 26–27 PT exam, FSBPT
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Comments Due Nov 9 on Proposed $70,000 OPT Fee