Veterans Education Success analyzed the most recent U.S. Department of Education (Department) data to determine student outcomes at the approximately 100 schools still accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). ACICS was de-recognized as an accreditor in 2016, but a senior political appointee at the Department recently recommended that ACICS be given another year to come into compliance with Department standards.
Note: In October 2019, a year after this report was published, the U.S. Department of Education updated its description of its methodology of calculating the average earnings of former students. The calculations in this report use the Department’s previously stated methodology, which included students who had earned positive earnings, in addition to students who had no positive earnings, during the measurement year to calculate a weighted average. Updated documentation from the Department states that the earnings cohort variable included only students with positive earnings, excluding those with zero earnings. While correlation between the two different ways of calculating a weighted average is very high, it should be taken into account when interpreting the calculations used in this analysis.