It has come to our attention that many of our constituents have received inaccurate information from the National League for Nursing (NLN) regarding the legal status of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Please be assured that the ACEN is legally incorporated and remains recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).
On April 8, 2013, the NLN terminated the Trademark License Agreement and demanded that we “immediately cease all use of the NLNAC” name and trademarks. As a result of this demand, the NLNAC changed its name to the ACEN and stopped using the trademarks. The transition to the new ACEN name has no effect on the organization’s recognition by the USDOE. You may verify the ACEN’s continued recognition by the USDOE by visiting the USDOE website: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html#health.
The recognition of the ACEN by the USDOE has not been affected or changed by this name change. This means that the accredited status of ACEN-accredited programs is unchanged. We regret any confusion caused by these communications. If you have any questions, please contact the ACEN at (404) 975-5000.