Virginia College students sue DeVos for reinstating controversial for-profit college accreditor

When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos reinstated a controversial accrediting agency in April 2018, she threw a lifeline to Virginia College, a chain of for-profit schools that some higher education experts said should have closed.

No accrediting agencies believed Virginia College had a solid enough footing to participate in the federal financial aid program. The chain had no luck finding a new accreditor after the Obama administration stripped the school’s previous accreditor, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, of the power to give colleges access to federal student aid.

But once DeVos granted the council a reprieve, Virginia College was allowed to remain in the federal aid program and prolong what many saw as an inevitable demise. The chain abruptly closed in December, leaving students in the lurch. Now, former students Mark Passut and Mark Kaiser are filing a class-action lawsuit against DeVos and the Education Department for what they consider an ill-fated and illegal decision.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” Passut said. “The Department of Education should be held accountable.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/06/03/virginia-college-students-sue-devos-reinstating-controversial-for-profit-college-accreditor/