Trump administration debates future of beauty school accreditor amid student aid concerns

The Trump administration is weighing the fate of NACCAS, the accrediting body for roughly 1,300 beauty and cosmetology schools and more than 120,000 students, as part of its broader push to overhaul higher-education accreditation. Department of Education staff identified several deficiencies but recommended that the agency keep NACCAS recognized, subject to additional reporting and a 12-month corrective plan. In contrast, the bipartisan NACIQI voted 9-3 to advise denial of renewed recognition.

Students like Aliyah Fernandez, a recent graduate and mother, and Blythe Fields, an expectant mother studying while working, argue that losing accreditation would jeopardize their federal aid and ability to balance work, school, and family. They have started a petition seeking a monitored improvement period instead of outright termination. The final decision rests with a senior DoE official, who has not yet commented.