What is accreditation for colleges

To find a recognized U. This directory contains contact information about quality assurance and accreditation organizations from countries, including the United States. Email Print page Share. About Accreditation. Whether a college, university, or program is accredited is important: Students who want federal and sometimes state grants and loans need to attend a college, university, or program that is accredited. Employers ask if a college, university, or program is accredited before deciding to provide tuition assistance to current employees, evaluating the credentials of new employees, or making a charitable contribution.

The federal government requires that a college, university, or program be accredited in order to be eligible for federal grants and loans or other federal funds. They are:.

There are also a number of national accrediting agencies, and specialized accrediting agencies will often accredit specific programs within universities, professional or vocational schools, and other specialized institutions. And the Department of Education also has a list of the agencies it has approved. Wikipedia also has a handy list of unrecognized accreditation organizations that is, agencies that are not considered legitimate accreditation authorities. But if nothing else, the Wikipedia list shows how these fraudulent or invalid accrediting groups have names that sound just as legitimate as real accreditors.

Top Online Programs Explore programs of your interests with the high-quality standards and flexibility you need to take your career to the next level. The first step to accreditation is to identify which accreditation credential to obtain.

Department of Education recognized accrediting bodies, some are more prestigious than others, due to their more rigorous accrediting standards. For the most part, the more prestigious the accreditation, the higher standards the school must meet. Then there's the fact that a school can get programmatic accreditation for its individual programs, even if the school itself is already accredited.

Once a school chooses which accreditation it wants, it must identify and satisfy the eligibility requirements. During this time, it may be in candidacy status. This means the school is not yet accredited, but it's on its way to meeting the requirements for accreditation. During the candidacy status, the school will submit large amounts of paperwork and documentation to show it does qualify for accreditation.

This will include information about its faculty, the financial viability of the school, class syllabi, graduation requirements, degree requirements and samples of student work. The next step is the evaluation, where commission members will review the school's accomplishments and characteristics to determine if accreditation is warranted. This will usually include both document review and an on-site visit of the school's campus and facilities.

Finally, a decision is made. Until a decision is made, the school will be under the continuous obligation to provide updates on its academic and financial status. Should the school become accredited, it will have to renew its accreditation periodically, typically every few years or so. Will be ineligible to receive state or federal financial aid, including grants and loans. Will be ineligible to receive most private forms of financial aid, especially scholarships.

May have employers disregard or simply ignore any academic credential that came from the unaccredited institution. Will be attending an educational institution that cannot receive any federal or state funding to help support the school. May not have the academic credits earned at the unaccredited school be accepted by another school when transferring or applying for admission. May open themselves up to the potential for criminal prosecution or civil liability for the unauthorized practice of a particular profession.

Very similar name and website appearance to a well-known and accredited school, as if the questionable school is trying to confuse prospective students. Other schools and employers located in the same region have never heard of the school.

Has a pending accreditation status, with no estimated date for when accreditation should be obtained. Promises degree completion in an unusually short period of time. Unusually high or low tuition rates. A flat tuition rate, regardless of a student's course load. Automatic acceptance into the school. Promotional information appears very "salesy. Makes impressive claims about its program, such as a high average salary for graduates or robust employment rates after graduation, without citing sources or offering ways to verify that information.

Does not provide an address to a physical location of its campus or offices. Watch more! Financing your studies in the US. How to write an essay for MBA. Do's and Don'ts for your SOP. Dharma P. Under her able leadership over the past five years, IDP has witnessed strong growth in the US despite a global downturn in recent times, and increased student enrolments due to quality counselling, a unique mix of client portfolio and promotion of the USA as a leading study destination.

We use cookies to enhance your experience. Find out more. What is accreditation and how does it impact you? Our expert Dharma Naik explains what role accreditation plays in selecting the right university and course. What is accreditation? Why is accreditation important?