On to the Next: Where a Closed Accreditor’s Schools Are Now
Chazz Robinson and Shelbe Klebs
February 27, 2023
The Biden Administration and the US Department of Education (Department) have shown their desire to put accreditors in the hot seat and ensure they’re fulfilling their quality assurance mission. Recent actions the Department has taken include reinstating the accreditor dashboards, combating “accreditor shopping” through new guidance, and revising the Accreditation Handbook to clarify agency expectations for student achievement metrics.1
Each of these steps is intended to strengthen the accreditation process and uphold the important role accreditors play in protecting students and taxpayers. But these actions pale in comparison to the monumental decision the Department made last year to terminate federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).2 ACICS was an embattled accreditor with a notorious track record for failing its oversight duties, culminating in the collapse of Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute. Now that it’s been officially ousted as a gatekeeper of federal dollars, it leaves us wondering: where will the schools formerly accredited by ACICS go to seek new approval, and is there a new bottom-of-the-barrel accreditor on the horizon?
