November 15, 2024

Res Helfer, Executive Director
Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training
1722 N St NW
Washington, DC 20036
Via email

RE: MyComputerCareer.edu and MyComputerCareer (1193), Columbus, OH (vocational/title IV); MyComputerCareer.edu and MyComputerCareer (1194), Indianapolis, IN (vocational/title IV)

Dear Res Helfer,

Our organization works on a bipartisan basis to advance higher education success for veterans, service members, and military families, and to protect the integrity and promise of the GI Bill® and other federal education programs. MyComputerCareer and MyComputerCareer.edu in Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Indiana, are on the list of schools that will be considered for a grant of reaccreditation at the December 2024 ACCET Commission meeting. We write to raise issues that were recently brought to our attention by a student of MyComputerCareer and to urge ACCET to review these schools thoroughly and ensure compliance with ACCET’s standards. 

A student reached out to us in September 2024 to share concerns that the institution was “utilizing fraudulent and deceptive practices and false advertisement to lure students, in general, and Veterans, in particular, to its programs.” The student suggested attendees may not be “able to successfully obtain IT certifications through its programs” and felt that the website was not transparent about the “percentages of students who successfully obtain IT certifications through its programs” and “the amount of time it actually takes students to successfully obtain the IT certifications.” 

In addition, at least three student complaints have been lodged with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the last 24 months, on the topics of financial concern, quality of education, recruiting/marketing practices, post-graduation job opportunities, and other issues.

Such student complaints should be taken seriously in light of the system-wide problems apparent in the negative accreditation history of MyComputerCareer and MyComputerCareer.edu. The Raleigh campus and its five additional locations are currently listed as “Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status” as of April 25, 2024, with the reason “Fails to meet agency standards for initial or renewed accreditation.” Those six campuses, plus Indianapolis, Columbus, Apex, and Nellis AFB, are all listed as having been on Probation from May 7, 2022, to January 3, 2023,  with the reason “Significantly out of compliance- student achievement.” 

Based on the student complaints received by VA and the particular student’s allegations sent to us, we urge ACCET to determine independently if MyComputerCareer and MyComputerCareer.edu are training students to obtain the promised certifications in the promised amount of time. We also urge ACCET to require MyComputerCareer and MyComputerCareer.edu to demonstrate its compliance with ACCET standards, including Standard IV-Curricula. Specifically, ACCET should review the following standards:

  • Standard IV, A- Educational Goals and Objectives: The institution’s programs and courses have appropriate and measurable educational goals and objectives. The curriculum content and learning experiences are preplanned and present a sound, systematic, and sequential learning experience for students. The content and length of programs ensure that sufficient and appropriate knowledge and skill elements are included to meet the specific and measurable performance outcomes expected for the courses and programs. The institution must demonstrate that the length of the program is appropriate to provide a student with the requisite knowledge and skills of the courses and programs.
  • Standard VII, A- Recruitment: All advertising, promotional materials, and representations made by or on behalf of the institution for recruiting purposes, including web content, catalog, and social media postings, make only justifiable and provable claims regarding the courses, programs, costs, location(s), instructional personnel, student services, outcomes, and other benefits. All communications with prospective students are ethical, honest, and consistent with ACCET policies. The institution does not state or imply that employment, occupational advancement, and/or certification and licensing are guaranteed.
  • Standard IX, C- Certification and Licensing: When the purpose of instruction is to prepare students to meet the standards for licensing, certification, registration, or examination requirements, the curriculum includes appropriate preparation and materials to meet the requirements for such credentials. The institution records and tracks the pass rates of graduates and uses the results to measure and improve the quality of the educational programs offered.

We urge ACCET to review MyComputerCareer and MyComputerCareer.edu for compliance with these and all standards, in light of the recent concern from a student and the accreditation history of these campuses. 

Sincerely,

Della M. Justice
Allison Muth
Vice President for Legal Affairs Senior Attorney

1. Solicitation of Commentary – Institutions under Consideration for ACCET Accreditation at the December 2024 Commission Meeting (Sep. 6, 2024), https://s3.amazonaws.com/docs.accet.org/downloads/SolicitationCommentary_Institutions_December_2024.pdf.

2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool, entries for My Computer Career, at https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-comparison-tool/?search=name&name=my%20computer%20career&excludeVettec=true (last accessed Nov. 13, 2024).

3.  See U.S. Department of Education, Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs, entries for MyComputerCareer, at https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home (last accessed Nov. 13, 2024). The two campuses currently under ACCET review have additional history: Indianapolis has “Show Cause” status dated 1/7/2011, 1/14/2014, and 8/28/2014; Columbus has “Show Cause” status dated 9/16/2010 and 1/13/2014, and another Probation dated 1/7/2022.

4.  ACCET Document 2 – Standards for Accreditation (Revised Aug. 2023), https://s3.amazonaws.com/docs.accet.org/downloads/Doc_2.pdf. 

MyComputerCareer commentary ACCET 111524