Formation 1989 President John F. Scheel | Location Sarasota, Florida Website www.accreditnow.com | |
Type Unrecognized higher education accreditor | ||
Accrediting Commission International (ACI), also known as Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges, and Theological Seminaries, possibly associated with International Accrediting Commission (IAC), also known as International Accrediting Commission for Schools, Colleges and Theological Seminaries, is an unrecognized educational accreditation corporation in the United States. It primarily accredits religious schools, including seminaries and Bible colleges, and also offers accreditation to non-U.S. schools that offer business education programs.
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History
ACI was established in 1989 and originally located in Beebe, Arkansas. In 2011 it announced its relocation to Sarasota, Florida.
In 2007, the St. Petersburg Times quoted Alan Contreras, the leader of Oregon's Office of Degree Authorization (an organization that follows questionable accrediting agencies) as saying, "Anything accredited by ACI in Beebe, Ark., is either fake or substandard, as far as I know."
Recognition
ACI is not recognized by either Council for Higher Education Accreditation or United States Department of Education, the two institutions responsible for recognizing educational accrediting institutions in the United States.
The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization includes ACI in its list of unrecognized accreditation agencies stating that, "any so-called 'accreditation' by these bodies is meaningless in Oregon and in some other states."
IAC was caught in a sting operation by Missouri assistant attorney general Eric Vieth. They accredited an obvious diploma mill and were subsequently charged with fraud. IAC was ordered to cease operation in the state of Missouri but reappeared in Beebe, accrediting the same institutions as previously. Degree.net says that "International Accrediting Commission for Schools, Colleges and Theological Seminaries" (IAC) was an organization directed by Dr. George Reuter, who retired immediately before ACI arose in Arkansas.