Government severs ties with for-profit colleges accreditor
WASHINGTON — The Education Department withdrew recognition of the nation’s largest accreditor of for-profit colleges on Thursday, a decision that could force schools to close and threaten financial aid to hundreds of thousands of students.
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools said it would appeal the decision to Education Secretary John B. King Jr. In a statement, ACICS Interim President Roger Williams said the council would “continue diligent efforts to renew and strengthen its policies and practices” to meet the department’s criteria for accreditors.
The accrediting agency has been accused of lax oversight of its schools, which included those once owned by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges Inc. and the recently shuttered ITT Technical Institute.
The department’s decision was announced in a blog post on its website.