Beauty school moms caught in accreditation crossfire as Trump admin weighs consequential decision

The Trump administration is weighing the future of an accreditor overseeing roughly 1,300 beauty and cosmetology schools and more than 120,000 students, in a decision that could test how the president’s push to overhaul higher education accreditation is applied beyond the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) battles that have dominated the issue.President Donald Trump promised during the 2024 campaign to "fire the radical left accreditors" and called accreditation his "secret weapon" against colleges and universities he argued had been captured by the political left.But the case now before the U.S.Department of Education (DoE) is different.Rather than allegations involving DEI requirements, it centers on whether the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, or NACCAS, has complied with federal requirements and what consequences should follow if it has not.MCMAHON TELLS HOUSE PANEL TRUMP ADMIN MOVING TO DISMANTLE ‘FAILED’ $3T EDUCATION BUREAUCRACYMany beauty and cosmetology schools may lose their official accreditations under a review currently underway at the U.S.

Department of Education.(iStock)That distinction matters to students because recognition by a DoE-approved accreditor is generally necessary for schools to participate in federal student aid programs.

NACCAS says it accredits approximately 1,300 institutions serving more than 120,000 students in cosmetology, beauty and related career programs.DoE staff identified deficiencies with NACCAS but recommended continuing its federal recognition with restrictions, additional reporting and monitoring while it works to come into compliance.The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, or NACIQI, took a harder line at its July meeting, voting 9-3 to recommend that the department deny NACCAS renewed recognition.TRUMP ADMIN TIGHTENS VISE ON STUDENT AID FRAUD IN ‘GHOST STUDENT’ CRACKDOWNA cosmetology student practices a perm technique on a mannequin head in Readi...