DEAC Student Achievement Disclosure for the Public:
The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Acacia University filed with Arizona’s Secretary of State and applied for a degree-granting license in the State of Arizona in September 2007. Approval was granted on February 28, 2008.
Acacia University is licensed in the State of Arizona by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education (AZPPSE). Acacia provides high quality remotely delivered certification and degree programs to learners from around the world.
Acacia University is a member of the Arizona State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements Council (AZ SARA), which provides inter-institutional recognition of distance-education course credits among member institutions.
Arizona institutions in AZ SARA are automatically members of the regional interstate higher education compact organization, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Member States in WICHE are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. This broad network provides ready transferability of credits among member institutions, allowing ease of movement of students within the network.
Acacia University is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and is authorized to provide distance education to students in any SARA member state
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement is an agreement among member states, districts, and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. SARA membership makes it easier for students to take online courses offered by postsecondary institutions based in another state. Full information about the benefits of SARA to students is available online at http://www.nc-sara.org/what-are-student-benefits,
The following state is not a member of SARA: California.
Acacia University is officially registered with World Education Services (WES) and assigned a designated ID number (4671). WES is not an accreditation agency, it is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students in the U.S. and Canada.
Who do I contact if I have a grievance with Acacia University?
While Acacia University endeavors to maintain a congenial and responsive atmosphere for its students conducive with its educational purposes, it recognizes that from time to time, misunderstandings and disagreements may arise during the course of a student’s enrollment. In response to this situation, Acacia University has established procedures to resolve problems and ensure fair adjudication of student rights.
If a student feels that he or she has been treated unfairly or unjustly, the student must submit a written statement of the grievance, including the allegation; all relevant names and dates, a brief description of the actions forming the basis of the complaint; and copies of any available documents or materials that support the allegations, to the Office of Student Affairs (studentaffairs@acacia.edu), who is the final authority on all academic matters. The student’s grievance will be assessed within 30 days.
If the complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the institution’s grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint with the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education.
Website: https://ppse.az.gov/student-complaint-procedure
Students who are or were students of Acacia University and who believe that the school, or anyone representing the school, has acted unlawfully, have the right to file a complaint with the accrediting commission: Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).
Website: www.deac.org
DEAC has an “Online Complaint System” that enables individuals to file a complaint directly from the DEAC website.
Distance education students, who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process, may appeal non instructional complaints to the AZ SARA Council. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the AZ SARA Complaint page.
Acacia University filed with Arizona’s Secretary of State and applied for a degree-granting license in the State of Arizona in September 2007. Approval was granted on February 28, 2008.
Accreditation is a process to assure and improve higher education quality by giving public recognition to an institution that meets established standards of academic and administrative quality.
Accreditation assures you, the student, that the institution operates on a sound financial basis, has approved programs of study, qualified instructors, adequate facilities, and approved policies. Additionally, accreditation is often required by employer sponsored tuition reimbursement programs and by other institutions when evaluating transfer credits.
Here are three quick steps to quickly “search” for accredited schools on the US Department of Education web site. Follow the steps below and enter out name and accreditation information will be displayed.
On the U S Department of Education web site they state that the Secretary of Education recognizes only one agency dedicated solely to accrediting distance education institutions, the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).
Go to https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home
Enter Acacia University and our name and address will appear.
* Disclosure notice to US students:
Acacia University offers graduate degrees for current teachers to achieve their professional goals. Prospective and current students in the US must be licensed teachers in the state in which they work. Therefore, Acacia programs are NOT a pathway to teacher licensure in the US.
This information is provided per U.S. Federal Regulations, 34 CFR § 668.50 (2016 Rules), 34 CFR § 668.43 (2019 Rules), and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) Manual version 19.2.
Acacia University is an approved institution of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) which allows the university to provide distance learning programs and coursework to students located in states other than Arizona. NC-SARA approval does not grant reciprocity or exemption from state professional licensing requirements.
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