Terminated Accreditor Applies for Recognition
September 14, 2017
The Obama administration last December decided to terminate federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, due largely to the controversial national accreditor’s oversight of Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute. The move set off a flurry among the roughly 270 colleges accredited by ACICS, most of them for-profits, which now have about two years to find a new accrediting agency. ACICS also sued to block the decision, and some have wondered whether the Trump administration might reverse it.
This week the accreditor applied for recognition by the department. In a written statement, ACICS said it is fundamentally changing as an organization.
“ACICS has strengthened its standards to be clear that institutions must come into compliance with the council’s standards within specified time frames or accreditation will be withdrawn,” the statement said. “ACICS has taken prompt action to withdraw accreditation from institutions that have failed to meet its standards.”