Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

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The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation recognized by the United States Secretary of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ACICS was established in 1912. It accredits over 900 institutions of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate diplomas and degrees, including master's degrees, in both traditional formats, and through distance education. ACICS is incorporated in Virginia and operates from offices in Washington, D.C.[1] In 2015, there have been several challenges to the quality of its accreditation. [2]

Accreditation

The scope of ACICS recognition by the Department of Education and CHEA is defined as accreditation of private Post-secondary educational institutions, both for-profit and non-profit, offering nondegree programs or associate degrees, bachelor's degrees and master’s degrees in programs "designed to train and educate persons for professional, technical, or occupational careers."[3][4]

As an accreditor for many for-profit colleges, ACICS provided information during U.S. Congressional investigations of for-profit education in 2010. ACICS reported that the institutions it accredits are required to demonstrate a student retention rate of at least 75 percent. [5] Retention rates are calculated within a single academic year. [6]

History

ACICS was established upon the request of Benjamin Franklin Williams, President of Capital City Commercial College of Des Moines, Iowa. Upon the meeting of twenty-two school administrators, who met in Chicago, Illinois, on December 12, 1912, the original alliance formed the basis of National Association of Accredited Commercial Schools (NAACS), which later grew into the ACICS of today.:[7]

In 2015, ACICS fell under significant scrutiny after the collapse of Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit institution that was accredited by ACICS until its sudden demise. A subcommittee of the United States Senate requested information from ACICS in November of 2015.[8] Five months later, twelve state attorneys general requested that the U.S. Department of Education withdraw recognition from ACICS as a federally-recognized accreditor.[2] [9]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau petitioned a federal court to order ACICS to make available information about "its decision to approve several controversial for-profit college chains"[10] and the president of the organization, Al Gray, resigned.[11] [12]

See also

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ https://www.propublica.org/article/attorneys-general-come-down-on-accreditor-of-for-profit-colleges#comments
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ https://www.propublica.org/article/attorneys-general-come-down-on-accreditor-of-for-profit-colleges#comments

External links

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