Understanding the Accreditation Basics

Accreditation is one of the most important facets of education. In order to ensure that your degree is respected and valued by employers, you must make sure that you attended a school that has been recognized by a viable accreditation agency.

While this may seem simple enough, many online organizations try to trick you into registering with a non-accredited program. Instead of falling into this trap, make sure you get your facts straight. The following articles offer information on accreditation agencies. By reading through these articles, you will be better equipped to make the right choice when enrolling in a school.

What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter Types of Accreditation How Career Education Accreditation Works

What is the Benefit of Having an Accredited Degree in the Job Market? What Happens When a College Loses Accreditation

What is Accreditation and Why Does it Matter?

Accreditation is a way of ensuring consistency and quality of education in postsecondary institutions in the United States. An accredited college is one which has met the standards set forth by a recognized accrediting agency. While the U.S. Department of Education does not accredit schools directly, it recognizes the agencies which are permitted to do so. These accrediting bodies develop standards for academic excellence and perform intermittent evaluations and reviews of educational institutions to ensure that they are in compliance with the established guidelines.

Accreditation is voluntary; colleges and universities are not required to seek this form of recognition. However, most institutions choose to pursue accreditation because it conveys an assurance of quality and credibility to prospective students as well as teachers and staff. In addition, only accredited schools and programs can receive federal funding, and only students who enroll in accredited institutions are eligible for federal financial aid.

The Types of Accreditation

There are several types of accreditation that a college can receive. Regional accreditation is usually associated with traditional public or private colleges and universities. National accreditation is typically the form of recognition bestowed upon vocational, technical, or specialized schools, as well as distance education and online learning programs.

There are two additional forms that accreditation can take. Programmatic accreditation refers to the accrediting of a specialized program within a school. Institutional accreditation applies to the entirety of the college or university.

How Accreditation Impacts Students

Whether a college is accredited and what type of accreditation it holds greatly impacts its students. If you choose to pursue graduate study, the accreditation status of the college at which you received your undergraduate degree will certainly affect your prospects of getting into your chosen school. An undergraduate degree received at an institution that is not accredited will most likely not be accepted for admission by an accredited graduate school. In addition, the type of accreditation your school holds may be of importance when applying for admission to graduate school. For example, a degree received at a nationally accredited institution may not necessarily be accepted for admission to a regionally accredited graduate program. Checking with an admissions counselor at your desired school is the best way to ascertain whether your credits will be accepted.

Accreditation is also significant if you are planning to transfer from one college to another. Credits earned at a school that has not received any form of accreditation will most likely not be able to be transferred to an accredited institution. Credits which you earned at a nationally recognized school may or may not be accepted if you are transferring to a regionally accredited institution. It is important to check with the admissions department of the school to which you wish to transfer in order to inquire about whether your credits will count.

In addition, the accreditation status of your college will likely impact your job prospects after graduation. According to the Council for Higher Education, employers strongly value a degree from an accredited institution when evaluating a candidate's credentials and qualifications for employment.

How to Know if Your School is Accredited

Most schools' administrators work diligently in order to maintain their accreditation status. A loss of accreditation can greatly damage a school's reputation and result in a decrease in enrollment as well as a loss of federal funding. If you are unsure of whether your college is accredited, you can find out by visiting the U.S.D.E.'s searchable accreditation database. There, you can look for schools by name and location to find out if their accreditation is current and how long they have maintained their status. This database includes traditional colleges as well as distance and e-learning programs.

Article Resources:

U.S. Dept. of Education: Accreditation in the United States
U.S. Dept. of Education: Diploma Mills and Accreditation
U.S. Dept. of Education: Regional and National Institutional Accrediting Agencies
U.S. Department of Education: Searchable Database of Accredited Institutions and Programs
Council for Higher Education: An Overview of U.S. Accreditation

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Types of Accreditation

What types of accreditation are there? This is a bigger question than it sounds. To begin, there must be an explanation of the layers within the accreditation system. First, there are the agencies that govern the accrediting associations. The U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Association (CHEA) and the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) are all agencies that grant the power to smaller associations that oversee accreditation at the school or program level. Among these many specific accrediting agencies, there are also a number of layers of accrediting types. A breakdown is as follows:

Institutional Accreditation: This is a type of accreditation that looks at a school or university as a whole, rather than the specific programs within an institution. The two different types of institutional accreditation include regional and national. These are explained in more detail below.

Regional Accreditation: The most esteemed and the most prevalently found in the United States is regional accreditation. There are a total of eight regional accrediting associations throughout the United States that govern the six regions of the country. These associations use a broad scope to accredit entire colleges or universities. Regional accreditation also usually targets schools that offer a more general, well-rounded education, such as a liberal arts school, rather than a career training school.

National Accreditation: This type, like regional accreditation, gives the quality stamp of approval for entire educational institutions, rather than the individual programs in the school. National accreditors focus in on more specialized programs, such as vocational schools. Though a national accreditation is not at the caliber as a regional accreditation, there are still very strict guidelines that schools must meet in order to be deem a 'Nationally Accredited School'. There are also a number of smaller categories of national accreditation associations, which include Specialized, Faith-Based and Private Career accreditation associations. Refer to the list of accreditations below to find out more about these more specific categories.

Specialized Accreditation: These can also be called programmatic or professional accreditations. They focus in on making sure specific programs are meeting national standards in their scope and quality of education. There are hundreds of specialized accreditation bodies reigning over different types of programs, which (very opposite from a liberal arts education) gear students toward a vocation goal, rather than a focus on a scholarly path. Specialized accreditors usually cover programs that train professionals in very narrow fields, such as radiology technology, or ESL teaching. Accrediting organizations that fit into this category approve of programs that you could call 'single purpose'. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation and the National Association of Schools of Theater are two examples of the very specific targets of specialized accrediting associations. Students should note that even if specialized accreditation is required for a licensing or certificate program, accreditation guarantees the staff is qualified to train in that field.

Faith-Based Accreditation: This is a specialized group of national accreditation associations that specialize in faith-based, religiously affiliated colleges and universities. Faith-based accreditations usually govern over an entire institution, rather than a specific program.

Private-Career Accreditation: These accrediting associations focus in on private schools that offer specialized vocational training.

Article Resources:

U.S. Dept. of Education: Accreditation in the United States

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How Career Education Accreditation Works

In today's age most diplomas and certificates from vocational and continuing education programs are just as valuable as those from colleges and universities. This is true because many career schools are accredited through the same process and sometimes even by the same agencies as colleges and universities. However, unfortunately there are some career education programs that are not accredited by reputable agencies and market misleading ads to make you think otherwise. The good news is that finding out how and by whom your career education program is accredited by is easy. Here's how it's done.

How Career Education Schools Are Accredited

Career education programs and schools are accredited in the very same way colleges and universities are. Accrediting agencies hold career schools to rigorous standards of excellence and periodically check that they are maintaining these standards through external and internal reviews. Just some of the standards accrediting bodies hold their schools to include making sure schools continually strive to advance the quality of academic learning for all students, that schools demonstrate accountability and that schools have a clearly defined mission and the resources at hand to accomplish their mission.

How to Tell if Your School is Accredited by a Reputable Agency

The US federal and state governments do not oversee the accreditation of any post-secondary institution. As a result, numerous bogus accrediting bodies have formed, which haphazardly accredit any diploma mill or fake program that pays them. To combat this problem the US Secretary of Education started endorsing only the reputable accrediting bodies. You will want to make sure that you are career education program is accredited by an organization that is recognized by the US Secretary of Education. The easiest way to do this is to visit the US Department of Education's accreditation database .

If your career school is not based in the US then you will want to make sure it's accredited by an agency that is endorsed by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This council is the international authority on accreditation and endorses many of the same accrediting bodies that the US Secretary of Education does. CHEA also has a downloadable directory of the accrediting agencies they endorse on their website.

Reputable Accrediting Agencies

There are several reputable accrediting agencies that accredit different types of education programs. Some of the most well-known and established accrediting agencies are the six regional accrediting bodies in the US that each covers different geographical locations:

• Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA)
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
• North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA)
• Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU)
• Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

These agencies typically accredit major colleges and universities, although some are leading the way in career school accreditation. However, it's more likely that your career school is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). This commission is a national organization that specializes in accrediting career and vocational education programs and has been recognized every year by the US Secretary of Education since 1967.

How to Determine if a School has a Reputable Accreditation

When you are researching several career schools you may not want to go through the process of finding out whom a school is accredited by and if the accreditation is legitimate. When you narrow your choices down you should go through this process to be sure, but when you are still considering a large number of schools there are a few ways that you can tell if the school is likely to have a reputable accreditation.

Mainly, when researching a school look at its resources, such as their career service center. Most good schools will offer more than just job placement services, but also interview training and other preparation counseling. Also look at a school's library databases. Good programs will have extensive access to online journals, course reserves and eBooks. Lastly, see how the school handles communication. Decent programs will give students many options to interact and ask questions of their professors and peers through online technology. If a school has an abundance of these resources it is also likely that they are accredited by a reputable agency. Remember, though once you narrow down your list of schools to make sure you verify their accreditation with the appropriate source.

Article Resources:

The U.S. Department of Education
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

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What is the Benefit of Having an Accredited Degree in the Job Market?

How will employers view an accredited degree versus a non-accredited degree?

The Benefits of Having a Degree

The benefits of having a degree in the job market are tremendous. Workers with an associate's degree earn an average of 25% more than workers with only a high school diploma, and workers with a bachelor's earn over 70% more. For many jobs, having a degree is necessary to be hired at all, or to be promoted beyond a certain level. The benefits of higher education are projected to increase in coming years.

The Importance of Being Accredited

However, it cannot be just any degree. Obtaining an accredited degree is absolutely essential if you hope to garner the career success you deserve. Accreditation is a process in which outside agencies evaluate a school's programs to ensure that they meet applicable academic standards. Without accreditation, it is impossible for employers to know whether your diploma is from a legitimate institution or whether it is from a diploma mill—a company that offers degrees in exchange for money and little academic work. Academic institutions are equally skeptical of degrees from non-accredited schools, so it can be extremely difficult to transfer credits from a non-accredited institution to an accredited one.

Knowing your Accreditation Agencies

When investigating your school's accreditation status, you should also be sure that the accreditation agency is itself accredited. Just like there are diploma mills, there are accreditation mills that provide meaningless certifications to schools. For a list of valid accreditation agencies, you can go to the websites for the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education.

There can be differences between legitimate accreditation agencies as well. For example, a certification from the Distance Education Training Council doesn't always mean that credits from that institution will be transferable to other academic institutions. If your school is certified by the DETC and you're planning on attending another institution in the future, you should check your prospective institution's policy on accepting transfer credits. The most widely accepted accreditation agencies are the regional agencies, such as the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. These are the same agencies that accredit non-digital schools and accreditation from them is as universally accepted as you can get.

A degree is a fantastic asset in today's job market. It will exponentially increase the number of jobs you can do and the promotions you will be eligible for. In order to reap the benefits of having a degree, make sure you get it from an accredited institution. The U.S. Department of Education has an easy-to-use search engine for exactly this purpose: http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx .

Article Resources:

The Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
College Accreditation in the United States

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What Happens When a College Loses Accreditation?

Most colleges, universities and even K-12 schools are accredited. Accreditation demonstrates to the public at large, other institutions and potential employers that students graduating from an accredited school are well prepared and educated. So when a school loses its accreditation status its students can often experience some negative repercussions.

When a College Fails

When a college, university or vocational program loses its accreditation status, there are many more looming implications for its students.

Students attending the school at the time of the accreditation loss face the school closing rather abruptly. This is due to the fact that the federal government does not usually provide financial aid to unaccredited post secondary institutions. The vast majority of these schools are heavily dependent on financial aid and the immediate withdrawal of all government funds guarantees that the school will quickly go bankrupt.

Furthermore, these students will have a difficult time finding admission to another school to complete their degree or program if their school closes from an accreditation loss. While most colleges and universities will accept high school students from unaccredited schools, they're not nearly as forgiving to those students who attended an unaccredited post secondary institution.

If an unaccredited school manages to stay in business then its graduates will undoubtedly face a tough time finding a job. Many employers simply do not hire graduates from unaccredited schools. Some employers in the medical field cannot hire graduates from unaccredited schools because they believe these graduates are not guaranteed to have adequate preparation, making them a liability to the company.

Keep in mind though, that if you graduated from a school when it was accredited, and the school lost the accreditation after you graduated, then you are still viewed as having graduated from an accredited institution.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I Get My Money Back?
Unfortunately, most students will not receive refunds if their school loses its accreditation status. This is because most colleges and universities operate like a business, and you invest into this business by paying for your education. If your school goes bankrupt they cannot afford to refund any money, and your investment is just considered a loss.

However, in rare cases some state post secondary institutions may refund monies depending on how and why accreditation was lost. These institutions would be refunding with money from the government.

Can I Sue?
Again by paying for an education you are willingly investing into your post-secondary institution. If your school loses its accreditation and goes bankrupt your investment is then considered bad - but this is not usually solid ground for a lawsuit.

There are some unusual cases of students suing their school over an accreditation loss, but these are typically class action suits and involve fraudulent behavior on part of the school. For instance, 58 former nursing students successfully sued Virginia Western Community College because the college lied about having lost its accreditation status.

In summary, when a post-secondary institution loses its accreditation, the school's current students face serious repercussions. The best course of action is to thoroughly research potential schools you're thinking of attending and choose one that is unlikely to ever lose its accreditation status.

Article Resources:

U.S. News
The Roanoke Times
The U.S. Department of Education

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