Press Release  AG Healey Opposes Renewal of National Accrediting Agency Responsible for Overseeing Predatory For-Profit Schools

Boston — Emphasizing the “spectacular failure” of a national accrediting agency in allowing the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges to continue deceiving thousands of struggling students, Attorney General Maura Healey today opposed its renewal and urged the U.S. Department of Education to revoke its status as a recognized accreditor. 

AG Healey, joined by 12 state attorneys general, sent comments to the Department’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, charged with renewing national accrediting entities. The letter specifically calls out Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) for its systemic failure to ensure program quality at certain for-profit institutions. This includes its decision to extend accreditation to schools like ITT Tech and Lincoln Technical Institute in Massachusetts, and several dozen schools nationwide operated by Corinthian Colleges until the day Corinthian declared bankruptcy.

“This accreditor enabled the for-profit school industry to defraud students and taxpayers, repeatedly putting its stamp of approval on predatory schools that lured students into low-quality courses and left them overwhelmed with debt,” AG Healey said. “Now more than ever, as default rates continue to climb, we need stronger oversight by these accreditors to protect students from these profit-seeking institutions. I urge the Department to immediately revoke ACICS’s status and refuse its renewal in order to ensure quality, affordable education for students and provide accountability to taxpayers.”

According to the letter, since the Department of Education does not directly assess the quality of institutions of higher education, students depend on accreditors to ensure that schools provide an education that meets at least minimum standards of quality.

Corinthian’s practice of offering extremely expensive degrees of little value to low-income students has been the target of more than 20 state and federal law enforcement agencies, including ongoing litigation by the AG’s Office after the school misrepresented its medical programs and job placement rates and falsely promised high-paying jobs that resulted in substantial debt and loan defaults.

The attorneys general also note that ACICS has representatives of certain predatory for-profit schools on its board and committees, which raises questions about potential conflicts of interests.

States that joined today’s letter with Massachusetts include Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia.

AG Healey has been a national leader when it comes to taking on predatory for-profit schools and securing relief for students. Last month, AG Healey joined U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King in announcing that more than 2,000 students who were victimized by Corinthian Colleges in Massachusetts are eligible to have their federal loans forgiven.

The AG’s Office is also currently in litigation with for-profit school American Career Institute for alleged unfair and deceptive practices, and just last week sued ITT Tech for deceiving students about the quality of its Computer Network Systems Program. The AG’s Office has reached settlements worth more than $6 million with four additional for-profit schools in Massachusetts – Kaplan Career Institute, Lincoln Tech, Sullivan & Cogliano and Salter College. In February, the AG’s Office sued an unlicensed for-profit nursing school operating in the Boston area for misrepresenting its training program and targeting students from the Haitian community in Massachusetts.

In November, AG Healey announced action against student debt relief companies and the launch of a Student Loan Assistance Unit to assist borrowers who are having trouble paying their student loans.

Students looking for more information or assistance should visit the AG’s Student Lending Assistance page or call the Student Loan Assistance Unit Hotline at 1-888-830-6277.

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