AGENCY: Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education.
ACTION: Call for written third-party comments.
SUMMARY: This notice provides information to members of the public on submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 270-01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: (202) 453-7615, or email: herman.bounds@ed.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
This solicitation of third-party comments concerning the performance of accrediting agencies under review by the Secretary of Education is required by § 496(n)(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended. These accrediting agencies will be on the agenda for the Summer 2020 National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) meeting. The meeting date has not been determined but will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice.
Compliance Report
1. Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with the criteria in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 602 as referenced in the Decision of the Secretary (Docket No. 16-44-0) available at https://opeweb.ed.gov/e-Recognition/PublicDocuments under NACIQI meeting date: 06/23/2016 for ACICS. Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of private postsecondary institutions offering certificates or diplomas, and postsecondary institutions offering associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degrees in programs designed to educate students for professional, technical, or occupational careers, including those that offer those programs via distance education.