Why you should not choose ACICS-accredited colleges and universities

Why you should not choose ACICS-accredited colleges and universities

Students who dream about their college life abroad, especially in the U.S. may choose colleges and universities based on many factors like location and scholarships. However, not many students are aware that they need to check the “accreditation” entity of the school. If they choose a school that was accredited by an entity that the U.S. Department of Education does NOT recognize, students cannot get their Change of Status or visa approved nor apply for STEM OPT or other visas like H-1B because their degrees will not be recognized.

For many students, not getting a visa or not being eligible for STEM OPT/H-1B will be a big deal, right? What is more, most international students find it difficult to discern which school is an ACICS-accredited college and university. Therefore, in this post, I will share the most recent update by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the list of ACICS-accredited higher education institutions and what you need to consider to better prepare for your study in the U.S. in easy English.

Contents


What is accreditation?

As you know, the United States is a big country and is comprised of 50 states like New York, Texas, California, etc. Likewise, within each state, different types of big and small colleges and universities offer post-secondary (high school) education programs. Now if you are a U.S. government person, you would want to come up with a way to see if the college/university can be trusted to ensure students get a quality education. To meet this goal, there are accreditation companies and entities which have certain requirements and accredit U.S. colleges and universities for those who meet the standard.

Among these accreditation agencies, the U.S. government recognizes some of them that meet their own standard. The benefit of being recognized by the U.S. government is that the members of the accreditation companies are eligible to provide Financial Aid to students (colleges and universities can also get federal funds by providing financial aid to students). This will give you a brief understanding of what being accredited means in higher education in the U.S.

The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is one of the accrediting agencies. The issue here is that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced in November 2022 that they will no longer recognize ACICS. This is not only bad news for ACICS-accredited colleges and universities in the States but also impacts international students per immigration regulations. I will summarize how the loss of recognized accreditation impacts international students based on immigration regulations.

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced that colleges currently accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) will now be required to fulfill additional operating conditions for continued participation in the federal student aid programs. This requirement follows U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten’s final decision to terminate federal recognition of ACICS.

U.S. Department of Education Terminates Federal Recognition of ACICS, Enhances Federal Aid Program Participation Requirements for ACICS-accredited Colleges

Consequences of the loss of recognized accreditation for international students

Based on the USCIS newsletter about this update, international students who are enrolled in colleges/ universities that are “only” accredited by ACICS will face limitations in applying some of the immigration benefits below. The quoted sentences are directly pasted from the newsletter:

  • International students cannot apply for the program extension
  • International students cannot be enrolled in ACICS-accredited English language training programs (for example, intensive English programs)
  • STEM OPT eligible students cannot apply for STEM OPT
    • Since one of the required documents to apply for STEM OPT is a STEM degree from an accredited, SEVP-certified school. Click the related post below to learn more about STEM OPT eligibility
    • The school needs to be accredited by the date the DSO recommends the student for the STEM OPT participation in Form I-20 (in different words, STEM OPT-authorized I-20 issued date, STEM OPT Requested date on Form I-20)
    • STEM OPT participants will be denied if…
      • the student applied for STEM OPT based on the degree obtained from the ACICS-accredited college/university; and
      • submitted the Form I-765 STEM OPT extension application on and after August 19, 2022 which is the date that ACICS ceased to be recognized
  • Students who hold a degree from an ACICS-accredited institution will not be qualified for the H-1B advanced degree exemption, ACWIA fee exemption or the I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
    • that being said, the degree that is conferred by the ACICS-accredited institution before August 19, 2022 is generally considered to be a degree from an accredited institution

Related blog post: STEM OPT eligibility, process, required documents


A list of ACICS-accredited schools

For students who might think, “OK now I know that some immigration rights and benefits are limited for students who are enrolled in the ACICS-accredited university and college, how do I know which school is the ACICS-accredited school?”

Below is the list of ACICS-accredited colleges and universities as of December 2022. Some schools have multiple locations and some schools’ accreditation expires soon. To check the most recent list of the ACICS member school, click here.

Campus NameLocation
Agapè College of Business and Science1313 P Street, Fresno,
CA 93721, United States
Bay Atlantic University1510 H Street N.W      
Washington, DC 20005, United States
Bergin College of Canine Studies10201 Old Redwood Highway      
Penngrove, CA 94951, United States
Best Care College68 South Harrison Street      
East Orange, NJ 07018, United States
Bethesda College of Health Sciences3800 South Congress Avenue Suite 9    
Boynton Beach, FL 33426, United States
Beverly Hills Design Institute8484 Wilshire Boulevard      
Beverly Hills, CA 90211, United States
Broadview College1902 West 7800 South      
West Jordan, UT 84088, United States
California Aeronautical University4517 E. Mallory Circle Suite 115    
Mesa, AZ 85215, United States
California University of Management and Sciences1126 N. Brookhurst Street Suite 200    
Anaheim, CA 92801, United States
Empire College3035 Cleveland Ave.      
Santa Rosa, CA 95403, United States
Fairfax University of America4401 Village Drive      
Fairfax, VA 22030, United States
Gwinnett College4230 Lawrenceville Highway Suite 11    
Lilburn, GA 30047, United States
Gwinnett Institute1900 North Alafaya Trail Suite 100    
Orlando, FL 32826, United States
Hope College of Arts & Sciences1200 SW 3rd Street      
Pompano Beach, FL 33069, United States
Jose Maria Vargas University10131 Pines Boulevard      
Pembroke Pines, FL 33026, United States
Living Arts College @ School of Communication Arts3000 Wakefield Crossing Drive      
Raleigh, NC 27614, United States
Living Arts College High Point906 Mall Loop Road      
High Point, NC 27262, United States
MERIT UNIVERSITY3699 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 970    
Los Angeles, CA 90010, United States
MIU City University Miami111 NE 1st Street 6th Floor    
Miami, FL 33132, United States
National Latino Education Institute2011 West Pershing Road      
Chicago, IL 60609, United States
New York Institute of English and Business248 W 35th St Fl3      
New York, NY 10001, United States
Nobel University505 Shatto Place #300      
Los Angeles, CA 90020, United States
Pittsburgh Career Institute421 Seventh Avenue      
Pittsburgh, PA 15219, United States
Process Work Institute2049 NW Hoyt St      
Portland, OR 97209, United States
San Diego Global Knowledge University1095 K Street Suite B    
San Diego, CA 92101, United States
San Ignacio University3905 NW 107th Avenue Suite 301    
Doral, FL 33178, United States
 Schiller International University400 North Tampa Street      
Tampa, FL 33602, United States
Southern States University2855 Michelle Drive Suite 380    
Irvine, CA 92606, United States
Southern Technical College1685 Medical Lane, Suite 200      
Fort Myers, FL 33907-1157, United States
Stratford University14349 Gideon Drive      
Woodbridge, VA 22192, United States
Suncoast College of Health6513 14th Street West #103      
Bradenton, FL 34207, United States
Texas Health and Science University4005 Manchaca Road      
Austin, TX 78704, United States

Hope this post helps international students who seek to study in the U.S. to choose the right school where they can take full advantage of immigration rights. All other important immigration benefits like CPT/ OPT and STEM OPT and tips for international students’ life can be found on each page.

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