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?
• Consequences of the loss of recognized accreditation for international students
• A list of ACICS-accredited schools

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)
  • Per immigration regulations, “English language study programs should be accredited under the Accreditation of English Language Training Program Act.”
  • Thus, international students who have “filed Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status will receive Requests for Evidence by USCIS. Upon receipt of RFE, students have to explain that the English language training program that they seek to be enrolled in meets the accreditation requirements”.
• 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.

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.