Federal Friday

Accreditation NPRM

The comment period for the Department of Education’s proposed rule related to “Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: The Secretary’s Recognition of Accrediting Agencies: Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended, Student Assistance General Provisions” closed on September 21, 2026. Over 5,000 comments were received by the agency; a handful of comments of interest are included below.

• Higher Learning Commission (HLC): Comment Letter
• APLU: Comment Letter
• ACE: Association Led Comment Letter
• NASFAA: Comment Letter
• COGR: Comment Letter
• Muti-State Attorneys General: Comment Letter

Any developments as the agency reviews comments and looks to finalize the rule will be shared with campus stakeholders; if you have questions or concerns in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to your university liaison.

Education Department General Administrative Regulations

The comment period for the Department of Education’s proposed rule related to “Education Department General Administrative Regulations” closed on September 23, 2026. Over 5,000 comments were received by the agency; a handful of comments of interest are included below.

• ACE: Association Led Comment Letter
• APLU: Comment Letter
• COGR: Comment Letter

Any developments as the agency reviews comments and looks to finalize the rule will be shared with campus stakeholders; if you have questions or concerns in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to your university liaison.

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

If interested, you can read Chairman Walberg’s statement on each request via the Committee press release.

The full letters are available below:

• Read the full letter on tenure here.
• Read the full letter on transfers here.
• Read the full letter on AI here.

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

The bill was signed into law on September 2, 2026, and provides funding for the federal government and a delay of the Uniform Guidance Rule through December 11, 2026.

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

Additional guidance from the Universities of Wisconsin will be released early next week. In the meantime, see the UW-Madison Federal Immigration Update: Curricular Practice Training (CPT) webpage.

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

• Department of War: Department of War Orders Research Security Audits at 30 Academic Institutions
• Department of Justice: Justice Department Investigates William & Mary’s Scholarships & Student Benefits For Unlawful Race-Based Criteria
• Department of Education: U.S. Department of Education Issues Proposed Rule to Overhaul and Improve America’s Higher Education Accreditation System
• Department of Education: U.S. Department of Education Approves Second Workforce Pell Grant Program in Indiana

Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

On August 20, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) related to Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: Secretary’s Recognition of Accrediting Agencies: Institutional Eligibility under the Higher Education Act, as Amended, Student Assistance General Provisions was published.

At the time of the release, Under Secretary of Education Nicolas Kent said, “At a time when Americans have lost trust in higher education, the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the accreditation system are intended to reorient our quality assurance framework so that accreditors prioritize student outcomes rather than bureaucratic processes or the promotion of divisive and unlawful ideological agendas. Instead of ensuring institutions offer high-quality educational programs that justify the time and cost of a college education, the antiquated accreditation system has contributed to inflated tuition, administrative bloat, and ideology-driven mandates on college campuses. The Department’s proposed changes to our higher education quality assurance system will improve college affordability, reconnect education to workforce needs, strengthen accountability, and restore confidence in our accreditation system.”

For more, you can read the Department of Education’s press release.

Please continue to share feedback with your university’s liaison.

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

• Department of Justice: The Department of Justice Files Complaints Against New York, Connecticut, and Vermont Challenging State Laws that Provide In-State Tuition to Illegal Aliens
• Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel: Constitutionality of the National Science Foundation’s STEM Programs
• House Select Committee on the CCP and House Education and Workforce Committee: Select Committee Investigation: Exposing CCP Influence at Harvard University

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

• Department of Education: S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Issues National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards
• Select Committee on the CCP: Moolenaar: Trump Admin Shines Light on CCP-Linked Funding on U.S. Campuses
• Department of Education: S. Department of Education Approves the Nation’s First Workforce Pell Grant Program in Iowa
• USCIS: USCIS to Reduce Frivolous Immigration Benefits Requests by Reinforcing Evidence Standards
• Department of Education: S. Department of Education Investigates Alleged Antisemitic Harassment at Two California Universities
• Department of Justice: Justice Department Finds Duke Law School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

• Census Bureau: The Census Bureau Higher Education Consortium: Transforming Collaboration Between the U.S. Census Bureau and Higher Education
• Department of Education: S. Department of Education Approves South Dakota’s Returning Education to the States Waiver
• Department of Education: (APP-26-09) Real-Time FAFSA Fraud Detection and Identity Confirmation – Frequently Asked Questions
• Department of Justice: The Department of Justice Sues Colorado for Providing In-State Tuition to Illegal Aliens

• Department of State: U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research
• Department of Education: What They Are Saying: Support for Breaking Up the Federal Education Bureaucracy
• Department of Education: Joint Letter to Congress from U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Partner Agencies

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.

Federal Friday

• Department of Justice: Justice Department Finds University of California San Diego Medical School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions
• Department of Justice: Justice Department Launches Investigation to Determine Whether Harvard’s China-Based Financial Aid Programs Discriminate Against American Students
• Wisconsin Department of Justice: Wisconsin DOJ and Coalition Win Ruling Protecting Billions in Critical Federal Funding
• Department of Ed: (APP-26-10) 2027-28 FAFSA Beta Testing Plan
• White House: Trump Administration Announces More Than $5 Billion for the Genesis Mission, a National Mission on AI for Science

Duration of Status Updates 

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security released the final rule titled “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media” in the Federal Register.

Since publication, the Department has released a series of resources that may be of interest. For more, you can review the following Resource Page, which has a summary and FAQ document among other resources.

Political Activity Guidance Reminder

As a reminder, as uncertainty continues around the federal landscape, Universities of Wisconsin employees should be mindful of political activity and public advocacy guidelines.

Activities such as sharing a petition or contacting a legislator for political purposes using your university email address or state resources to engage in political campaign activities at any time or engaging in political activities during work time are prohibited.

In your capacity as private citizens, on non-work time, and without use of university resources (including the use of university email addresses) employees may circulate or sign a petition or letter of support advocating for public policy or a political candidate. However, if using your name and official title, it should be made clear that an individual’s endorsement indicates neither support nor endorsement by the university of a particular policy position or candidate, and that you are acting solely in your role as a private citizen.

For more information, you can read the Guidance on Political Activities Frequently Asked Questions document. Importantly, these FAQs should be treated as general guidelines and not legal advice.

Please direct specific questions regarding political campaign issues to the Office of General Counsel or your university’s Office of Legal Affairs.