- The U.S. Department of Education has said the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools should not have the power to accredit colleges. But pending an appeal, it continues to do just that.
- The agency, once one of the nation’s largest college accreditors, approved Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech, both large for-profit colleges that shut down with little warning in the mid-2010s.
- The Obama-era Department of Education had also moved to strip the agency of its power in 2016. The agency was put back in action by the Trump administration.
A college oversight agency that signed off several large for-profit colleges accused of defrauding students, and one seemingly without students or faculty, remains in business despite the federal government’s repeated attempts to limit its power.
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools was once one of the nation’s largest college accreditors. It approved Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech, both large for-profit colleges that shut down in the mid-2010s following increased federal scrutiny and fines tied to deceiving students.
