ICMS sued by graduates whose degrees lack professional accreditation
Former students are suing ICMS, alleging the college misled them about degree accreditation.
The International College of Management Sydney is being sued by graduates who claim the college misled them about degree accreditation. Lead plaintiff Tessa Coddington spent $45,000 on a three-year Bachelor of Property degree and graduated in late 2022.
Then she discovered the degree was never accredited by the Australian Property Institute. Coddington could not progress in her career.
She also could not have her qualification recognised overseas. She spent years emailing ICMS.
The college initially said it was still seeking accreditation. In December last year, the Australian Property Institute confirmed the degree had not met its standards.
It rejected ICMS's application. In March this year, Coddington enrolled at Deakin University.
She studied the same subjects again to gain accreditation. ICMS said the incorrect accreditation claim on its website was an administrative error.
It has removed it. Graduates are seeking compensation for distress, HECS debts and costs of further study.
- Tessa Coddington
- Lead plaintiff
- $45,000
- Student debt incurred
- three years
- Degree duration
- late 2022
- Graduation year
Why it mattersGraduates lose years of career progress and money when a college sells them unaccredited degrees. This raises questions about how regulators check what institutions promise.
AustraliaAustralian students choosing private colleges now have a concrete example of how accreditation false claims can derail a career for years.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 45 min ago
