The Education Department is withdrawing its recognition of the controversial Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), The Washington Post reported.
Dr. Jordan MatsudairaThe Education Department relies on accrediting agencies to determine whether colleges can participate in the federal student aid program.
In a decision last Wednesday, Jordan Matsudaira, deputy undersecretary for education, deemed ACICS unfit, calling it incapable of fixing administrative failures in a year and meeting federal standards.
“ACICS’s significant and systemic non-compliance with multiple regulatory recognition criteria leaves me no reasonable option but to terminate its recognition, effective immediately,” Matsudaira wrote in a letter to the council.
ACICS President Michelle Edwards said the agency will appeal the decision to Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona.
