As a controversial accreditor of for-profit colleges sought new federal recognition,the Department of Education relaxed requirements for institutions affected by its loss of that recognition.
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, or Acics, was stripped of its federal recognition in late 2016, after reports of shoddy oversight and a department analysisthat found the accrediting council had failed to comply with more than 20 areas of federal regulation.
Without federal recognition, the council could no longer serve as a gatekeeper for federal student aid. And the colleges that it accredited had just 18 months to find a new accreditor or they would also be unable to accept federal Title IV money from their students.
To receive federal money during that 18-month period, the colleges that lost accreditation when Acics was stripped of its recognition signed an agreement that called for compliance with a handful of requirements, including an on-campus visit with their new accrediting agency to assess compliance, regular notification of lawsuits or settlements, and reporting of outcome data, among other stipulations.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: https://www.chronicle.com/article/DeVos-s-Education-Dept/242471