1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Accreditation for College Excellence Act of 2023 . 2. Prohibition on political litmus tests in accreditation of institutions of higher education (a) Operating procedures required Section 496(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1099b(c) ) is amended— (1) by striking and at the end of paragraph (8); (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (10) confirms that the standards for accreditation of the agency or association do not— (A) except as provided in subparagraph (B)— (i) require, encourage, or coerce any institution to— (I) support, oppose, or commit to supporting or opposing— (aa) a specific partisan, political, or ideological viewpoint or belief or set of such viewpoints or beliefs; or (bb) a a specific viewpoint or belief or set of viewpoints or beliefs on social, cultural, or political issues; or (II) support or commit to supporting the disparate treatment of any individual or group of individuals on the basis of any protected class under Federal civil rights law, except as required by Federal law or a court order; or (ii) assess an institution’s or program of study’s commitment to any ideology, belief, or viewpoint; (B) prohibit an institution— (i) from having a religious mission, operating as a religious institution, or being controlled by a religious organization (in a manner described in paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of section 106.12(c) of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this paragraph)), or from requiring an applicant, student, employee, or independent contractor (such as an adjunct professor) of such an institution to— (I) provide or adhere to a statement of faith; or (II) adhere to a code of conduct consistent with the stated religious mission of such institution or the religious tenets of such organization