In a huge blow to lakhs of Indian students, the US Department of Education revoked the recognition of the largest accreditor of private or for profit colleges, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).
The ACICS Council has accredited about 250 SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) certified colleges and schools. With the revocation of recognition of the Council, lakhs of Indian students who have graduated from the ACICS listed institutions are denied an extension of the optional practical training (OPT) from the 12th of December.
This means that the international undergraduate and graduate students students might also be required to migrate to other colleges as their institutions will not be eligible for OPT extension in future as they have lost their accreditation.
However, students with F-1 status, who have completed or have been pursuing their degrees for more than 9 months, are allowed to work by way of getting Optional Practical Training (OPT) to complement their field of studies, and extends for a period of 12 months, working for a US company.
Those who graduate from a US institution with a degree in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) can apply for an extension of their OPT for an additional 2 years.
Already, the US immigration and customs officials have started rejecting applications of the F-1 visa holders, who graduated from these 250 institutions and who had applied for OPT extensions, forcing them to study for another degree from an accredited college in the US if they want an OPT extension.
Even though ACICS is no longer a federally recognised accrediting authority, the US department of education will continue to provisionally certify ACICS-accredited institutions for continued participation in the federal student aid programmes for up to 18 months, which allows institutions to seek accreditation from another federally recognised accrediting agency.