The Trump administration is deciding whether to strip federal recognition from the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), the accreditor overseeing roughly 1,300 beauty and cosmetology schools attended by more than 120,000 students in the US. The case is notable because it tests how far the president's broader campaign against "radical left" accreditors extends beyond disputes over diversity, equity and inclusion policies, focusing instead on whether NACCAS has met federal compliance standards. Losing accreditor recognition matters greatly to students, since it is generally required for schools to remain eligible for federal student aid.

Department of Education staff found deficiencies at NACCAS but recommended it retain recognition under tighter monitoring, while an independent advisory panel, NACIQI, voted 9-3 in July for the harsher step of denying renewal outright. A final decision rests with a senior department official and has not yet been made, with officials declining to comment further while the process continues. Some cosmetology students, including single mothers such as Aliyah Fernandez and Blythe Fields, say federal financial aid was essential to funding their studies and warn that losing it could jeopardise their ability to combine work, childcare and education.