US Department of Education on Dec. 12, 2016 de-recognized ACICS (Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools) as an accrediting agency. This decision by DOE affected many international students (F1 VISA) attending the schools accredited by ACICS.
8 CFR 214.2 (f) (10) (ii) (C) (1) states that in order to qualify for an extension of post-completion OPT based upon a STEM degree, the degree that is the basis for the 24-month OPT extension must be from a U.S. educational institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Department of Education at the time the student submits the STEM OPT extension application to USCIS.
Since ACICS is not recognized by the Department of Education, the students who receive degrees from ACICS-accredited schools are not eligible for the STEM OPT Extension. If the application was submitted to USCIS after the Department of Education ruling regarding ACICS recognition (Dec 12th, 2016) – the application will likely be denied by USCIS.
Who are affected the most –
1) International students studying in ACICS-accredited ESL programs.
2) International students studying in ACICS-accredited schools and wanting to participate in STEM OPT in the future.