Student Defense Statement on One Year Anniversary of ACICS Accreditation Decision by Department of Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 16, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT:
press@defendstudents.org | 202-734-7495
Student Defense Statement on One Year Anniversary of ACICS Accreditation Decision by Department of Education
One year ago, a Senior Department Official in the U.S. Department of Education issued a decision to terminate the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools’ (ACICS) recognition as a higher education accrediting agency. Almost immediately, ACICS appealed this decision to Secretary Cardona which stayed the effect of that decision, allowing ACICS to continue operating. Although more than a year has passed, the Department has yet to rule on the appeal. Student Defense President Aaron Ament issued the following statement on this anniversary:
“Just two weeks ago, the Department granted more than $5 billion in loan discharges for students who were defrauded by Corinthian Colleges — a now-defunct chain of for-profit colleges that, not coincidentally, had numerous campuses accredited by ACICS. Had ACICS done its job, Corinthian would not have been allowed to scam students for so long, leaving taxpayers on the hook for this enormous tab.
“If the Department believes ACICS is qualified to serve as an accrediting agency, they should issue that determination. But by allowing this appeal to rest in limbo, the Department is permitting ACICS — despite its horrible track record — to bless countless other institutions at the expense of more students’ financial and educational futures.”
In November 2014, ACICS placed two Corinthian campuses on its “honor roll” after Corinthian Colleges shut down amid multiple investigations. ACICS also served as the accreditor for ITT Technical Institute, a school that shuttered in 2016 costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Congressional and state leaders have long called for ACICS to lose federal recognition. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) grilled former ACICS CEO Albert Gray in a 2015 Senate hearing. In 2016, twelve State Attorneys General called on the Department of Education to strip ACICS of its federal recognition.