March 24, 2020

Herman Bounds
Director, Accreditation Group
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20002

Dear Mr. Bounds:

On February 27, 2018, twenty-nine Veterans and Military Service Organizations wrote to ask you to deny the application by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) to gain recognition as a reliable authority on the quality of education or training. As you know, Secretary DeVos reversed the Department’s 2016 withdrawal of ACICS recognition, which had been based on years of compliance concerns and shortcomings with the “bad actor” institutions it accredited. Of particular concern to Veterans and Military Service Organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Defense Department (DOD) rely on Education Department-approved accreditors to ensure the quality and integrity of schools.

Read the full letter below. 

Final NACIQI ltr