Association of Christian Colleges and Theological Schools
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- Not to be confused with the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the primary accreditation agency for North American seminaries.
- Not to be confused with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.
Association of Christian Colleges and Theological Schools, ACCTS, is an unlicensed Christian theological "approval" board that has no status with the United States Department of Education (USDE) or government. They hold no government license or official recognition whatsoever. [1] In the United States without recognition from the USDE or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to approve the accreditation agency such accreditations are "bogus" to the academic community[2].
Currently, Gary Wilson is the President of ACCTS with headquarters in Louisiana.[3] In 2004, a correspondent or associate level membership could be obtained in six-weeks for $100 and $200 respectively. The group charged an annual fee of $300 for "full institutional approval", which it says included a site visit and approval by an evaluation team. [4]
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[edit] History
The ACCTS website says that it was founded as an approval agency for those schools which for various reasons may choose not to affiliate with a regional or other professional accrediting agency because the qualifications and standards of "such accrediting agencies may run counter to the convictions and purposes of Christian schools" and because the "external interference with internal policies by organizations or agencies with different goals and purposes than the Christian university, college or seminary may prove to be non-productive".
In 2005, Tyndale Theological Seminary (a ACCTS member institution) was fined $173,000 for issuing degrees without meeting state standards and calling itself a "seminary" without having accreditation. [5]
[edit] Requirements
The requirements for approval by ACCTS are: proof of the solicitation of new students, the transfer of credits, "admission policies and procedures," a "financial policy," "learning experience," a "limitation" on life credit, a library, student records, "staff," and "facilities."[6]
[edit] Schools approved by ACCTS
- California Pacific School of Theology (aka Pacific School of Theology)
- Louisiana Baptist University
- Pacific International University (aka Pacific College Incorporated and Pacific College of Graduate Studies)
- Pacific National University
- Tyndale Theological Seminary
[edit] See also
- Accreditation mill
- Diploma mill
- List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
- List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
- School accreditation
[edit] Sources
- US Deparment of Education Database for accreditation
- Credential Watch Lists ACCTS as suspect agency.
- State of Michigan Cites ACCTS as unapproved.
- State of Oregon Cites ACCTS as unapproved.
