Virginia University of Lynchburg Accreditation on Warning

[Airamb]

The VUL catalog specifically says that foreign degrees are to be evaluated by WES, which is a NACES-approved evaluator. It also allows for "equivalent" evaluators. I interpret this to mean other NACES-approved evaluators. Validential is not NACES approved. These are facts not "minced" words. This is about the College of Business at VUL making a judgment call on Validential being "equivalent" to a NACES-approved evaluator of foreign credentials. If ECE, a NACES-approved organization, evaluates ENEB master's degrees equivalent to a US RA bachelor's degree, then that is the "equivalent."

Suppose an ENEB graduate can get one of the many NACES-approved evaluators to label an ENEB master's degree equivalent to a US Master's degree. In that case, I agree it is equivalent.  Validential is not "equivalent" to NACES evaluators. If VUL wants to accept foreign degrees not equivalent to NACES standards then they need to amend the admission policy that it conforms with Overview | Virginia State Council Of Higher Education, VA (schev.edu) and TRACS. When a college within a university doesn't follow the admission standards, it potentially jeopardizes the reputation and accreditation of the entire University! This isn't about you being "smart" or clever!

That said, I recognize universities have broad discretion in making policy exceptions and waivers. However, I also believe "Image" is an important aspect. Additionally, unlike many other universities in the U.S., VUL does not just deal with the US Department of Education and the TRACS accreditor but the Virginia States Council of Higher Education, which sets its own standards of higher education in the State of Virginia.

Please enlighten me. According to the posts on this forum, ENEB is an unaccredited school offering $150 Groupon® master's degrees with a 50-question test-out option that leads to the award of an MBA. ENEB has an agreement to "transcript" the coursework with Universidad Isabel I, which is an accredited school. Validential, a non-NACES evaluator, will evaluate the Isabel I/ENEB degree as equivalent to a US Regionally accredited master's degree when no other NACES evaluator will do so. VUL will now accept applicants who received a master's degree from a 50-question test-out option from a $150 Groupon of an unaccredited Spanish University that was transcripted with the accredited University of Spain Isabel I and allow those credits to partially meet the 90 graduate credits required by the Virginia State Board of Education to obtain a doctoral degree. Undoubtedly, the Virginia State Council of Higher Education will take notice! Not doing so would be a gross oversight affecting Virginia schools' reputation and "image" overall.