What is Accreditation?
A school that is accredited has "passed the test" for meeting basic requirements and can grant diplomas that are accepted outside of that institution. If "School A" wants to be accredited, an accrediting group with expertise in education has to evaluate and determine that "School A" has met and is maintaining an established standard. A school that is not accredited grants diplomas that are recognized in very limited ways. It’s a simple idea, but not that simple for consumers to understand completely.
Accreditation is not limited to colleges and universities. Schools from Kindergarten up may be accredited or recognized for achieving some standard of excellence. In the United States, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is the governing body that designates what organizations can accredit colleges. CHEA doesn’t actually do the accreditation. Third-party, non-profit organizations approved by CHEA do the accreditation. In other countries, this duty usually falls within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (MOE).
You need to be aware that within each state, there are regulations that authorize schools to operate. This is not the same thing as accreditation. Some schools may state, "Authorized by the state of ______". This only means they meet the state definition of an educational institution, but not that they meet any standards of excellence or are accredited.
You should also know that there are different types of accrediting agencies. For example, there are agencies that set the standards for religious, vocational, and distance learning schools. So it would not be unusual to find a college that has multiple accreditations if they fall into multiple categories. Primarily, you want your college to be regionally accredited by one of the six recognized regional agencies:
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools – New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges - the six New England states.
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools - Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities - Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges -California, Hawaii, Guam, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas
Additionally, there are organizations that may accredit particular programs within a school. For example, the National League of Nurses Accrediting Council (NLNAC) accredits nursing degree programs within an educational institution. If a nursing program within an accredited college does not have NLNAC accreditation, it may be because that school has decided not to go through the accrediting process for that specific program. It does not mean that the program is not valid. However, any NLNAC approved program will have met particular standards recognized within that industry, and that may give additional credibility or value to the degree earned.
Why is it important to check accreditation?
- Most school loan programs or tuition reimbursement programs will only give you money if you are seeking a degree from an accredited institution.
- Some professional organizations will not grant licensure if your degree is not from an accredited institution.
- If you transfer from one school to another, credits may not be transferable if the second school does not recognize the accreditation of the first school.
Especially if the school you are planning to attend is non-traditional, you need to check which other schools will accept their credits in transfer. There are many non-traditional schools that are highly regarded by the education community, but there are also non-traditional schools that are not recognized and those credits may not transfer.
You should be able to find accreditation information on any school’s website or in the school catalog. If you do not recognize the name of the accrediting agency, check with CHEA or the Department of Education (DOE) database to verify that the agency is recognized as having accreditation authority.
Most of us would not hesitate to ask a lot of questions before buying a used car. An education is an even greater investment with a bigger return. By asking some questions before you start, you may save yourself unnecessary trouble later.
For additional information:
By Sue Perkins, Director of Marketing and Development for iStudySmart.com, an education partner of RTTEMPS/RNTEMPS.
