ACICS
| Formation | 1912 |
|---|---|
| Type | Unrecognized higher education accreditor |
| Location | |
|
President
|
Roger Williams |
| Website | www |
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation that was formerly recognized by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ACICS was established in 1912. It accredits 245 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. Concerns about the quality of its accreditation led the U.S. Department of Education to withdraw the accreditor's recognition in September 2016. On December 12, 2016, John King Jr., the United States Secretary of Education, finalized the process of revoking the U.S. Department of Education's recognition of ACICS as an accreditor. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) still recognizes this accreditor.
ACICS was established upon the request of Benjamin Franklin Williams, President of Capital City Commercial College of Des Moines, Iowa. Upon the meeting of 22 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 was later renamed ACICS.
The scope of ACICS' recognition by the Department of Education and CHEA was 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."
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