Regional Accreditating Agencies
Regional Accreditation is widely considered the most prestigious form of accreditation. There are currently eight regional accrediting associations through the United States, which govern six regions of the country. Unlike other agencies, regional accrediting bodies accredit the entire college or university.
When choosing a school, keep an eye out of those that are accredited by Regional agencies. Employers will look at this seal of approval with confidence and trust.
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSACS)
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools has been in existence in one form or another since 1887. Within the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, there are four separate commissions:
- Commission on Elementary Schools
- Commission on Secondary Schools
- Committee on Institution-Wide Accreditation (which bridges the elementary/secondary gap)
- Commission on Higher Education.
MSACS CHE Scope of Accreditation
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (CHE) accredits institutions that offer degrees in:
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- New Jersey
- New York
It also accredits institutions in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and some international locations. It is a widely recognized regional accrediting agency. Although it does not accredit separate distance education programs, some distance learning programs are accredited as part of a larger institution. Institutions that only offer certificates are not eligible for accreditation by the CHE.
MSACS CHE Quality Standards
The CHE encourages educational excellence on the part of its member institutions via a rigorous process of peer review. The Commission acts as a resource for educational institutions striving for continual improvement and maintenance of high standards. They uphold key core values that include: respect for each institution's unique mission, emphasis on effective teaching, and responsiveness to societal change, among others. The CHE publishes a list of educational institutions on its website, listing the accreditation status, highest level of degree offered, accreditation history, and other pertinent information, including any special focus (such as religious education).
The MSCHE accreditation process is designed to promote the educational health of its member institutions and provide an indication to the public of an institution's educational quality.
Article ReferencesThe Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education
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North Central Association Higher Learning Commission (NCA HLC)
The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association accredits institutions that grant degrees in the following states:
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It is one of the six main regional accrediting bodies in the United States, and is recognized as an accrediting agency by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. Although the NCA HLC does not accredit independent distance learning programs, some distance learning opportunities may be accredited by the NCA HLC because they are part of another institution that falls under the NCA HLC's umbrella.
NCA HLC Accreditation Standards
First founded in 1895, the organization is dedicated to "serving the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning." The purpose of accreditation serves more than one function. The accreditation process not only assesses how effective a college or university is in accomplishing its educational goals, but also helps institutions examine and refine those goals and plan for the future. It promotes leadership and educational innovation, and helps institutions share critical information with one another.
The NCA HLC prioritizes several key values as it serves its member institutions: educational quality above all, with an emphasis on integrity, innovation, diversity, inclusiveness, service, collaboration, and learning. The Commission recognizes that institutions of higher learning have much to share with one another, and acts as a conduit for such information. These values ultimately help the Commission serve students, ensuring they have access to educational opportunities that meet their needs.
Article Resources:North Central Association, Higher Learning Commission
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Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
The Commission on Colleges, part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), accredits degree-granting institutions in eleven states:
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Florida
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Virginia
It is recognized as an institutional and regional accrediting agency by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Accreditation is a critical signal to potential students and to the public at large that an institution meets appropriate quality standards. At a minimum, accreditation is meant to ensure that the institution has a relevant educational mission; sufficient resources available to accomplish this mission; specific, appropriate educational objectives; and success in meeting those objectives. Institutions affiliated with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools are committed to meeting its specific accreditation standards with integrity.
The SACS offers institutional, rather than programmatic accreditation, meaning that it accredits the school as a whole rather than accrediting a specific program. This includes distance learning programs that are part of member institutions, as well as branch campuses. The organization publishes a membership directory, as well as a list of institutions on probation or warning status.
What SACS Accreditation Means
Accreditation is also a means for institutions to self-regulate and continue to improve their educational excellence. The SACS encourages this through its accreditation process. Member institutions are expected to engage fully in self-study and also to derive benefit from the peer review component. This helps ensure that member colleges - and their students - gain as much as they can from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation process.
Article Resources:The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
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Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is the regional accrediting agency for institutions of higher learning in seven states:
- Washington
- Oregon
- Idaho
- Alaska
- Montana
- Nevada
- Utah
Both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognize NWCCU as an accrediting authority. NWCCU accreditation serves as both a marker of educational quality and a process by which schools may analyze and continuously improve their classes. The NWCCU is an institutional accrediting agency , meaning that it accredits a college as a whole, rather than accrediting specific degree programs. Accreditation qualifies colleges and universities to access federal funding for financial aid and research activities.
What NWCCU Accreditation Means
Accreditation is an intensive process that involves self-study and comprehensive peer evaluations of a school's effectiveness. NWCCU members engage in a ten-year cycle of continuous review, marked by an Annual Report, a comprehensive institutional self-study, and a peer evaluation.
The accreditation process examines each school's mission and goals, as well as the strategic planning process used to achieve those goals; the effectiveness of its educational programs; its ability to support its students appropriately; the development of its faculty; its various resources, including library resources, financial resources, and physical resources; its administration and governance; and its institutional integrity. The NWCCU looks for evidence that each institution of higher learning conducts its operations ethically and effectively, with the best interests of its students in mind.
The NWCCU reviews its own accreditation standards every five years in order to ensure their reliability and continued relevance.
Article Resources:NWCCU
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Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC)
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of six regional institutional accrediting agencies in the United States. It covers public and private colleges and universities in California and Hawaii, as well as those in the territories of Guam and American Samoa. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges is the part of WASC that accredits those institutions that offer associate degrees. The WASC ACCJC is recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as an accrediting authority.
WASC ACCJC's Accrediting Standards
Before becoming accredited (and in order to maintain accreditation) member institutions must meet certain eligibility requirements. To summarize, each school accredited by the WASC ACCJC must:
- Establish an educational mission appropriate for its student population
- Strive to improve student learning on a continual basis
- Offer effective instructional programs and appropriate students services
- Possess enough resources (human, physical, financial, and technological) to meet students' educational needs
- Have a well-defined and effective governance structure
Each of these areas is articulated in greater detail within the ACCJC's " Eligibility Requirements for Accreditation ."
The ACCJC also promotes integrity and accountability on the part of member institutions by outlining policies that articulate its standards on key accreditation-related issues. For instance, the ACCJC recently developed a policy that addresses the degree to which institutions may award credit for prior experiential learning. This policy emphasizes the responsibility of institutions to ensure that students earn degrees within the institution itself, rather than simply certifying what has been learned elsewhere. However, the policy outlines circumstances under which credit for prior experiential learning may be awarded.
The WASC ACCJC accreditation process offers both the opportunity for schools to analyze and improve their educational offerings, as well as the opportunity for the general public and potential students to observe the vote of confidence that accreditation brings.
Article ReferencesWestern Association of Schools and Colleges
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Western Association of Schools and Colleges (SCU)
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC SCU) oversees the institutional accreditation process for institutions that offer bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in California, Hawaii, the territory of Guam, and the Pacific basin. Both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education recognize it as an institutional and regional accrediting agency . WASC is one of the six regional accrediting entities in the United States.
What WASC SCU Accreditation Means
In brief, the three central goals of WASC SCU are:
- To promote the engagement of member institutions in issues relating to student learning
- To develop an emphasis on evidence in decision making
- To nurture information exchange between public and private institutions
The WASC SCU's 25 members represent the diversity of the association's member institutions, which offer different choices to students in terms of their size, focus, mission, and geography.
Other Roles of the WASC SCU
In addition to accreditation, the association offers workshops and other resources in order to help member institutions assess their educational quality. The WASC SCU also works to address issues that its member institutions can expect to face in the future. Such issues include the impact of globalization on higher education, the governance of accreditation, new learning environments, student learning outcomes, and the impact of the economy on institutions and students.
The WASC SCU publishes a " Statement of Accreditation Status " for each member institution, which contains current accreditation information. The association's standards for accreditation ensure that member institutions make appropriate educational resources available to their students, and acts as a measure of quality to the general public.
Article Resources:Western Association of Schools and Colleges
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New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
The New England Association of Schools and College's Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC CIHE) is one of the six main regional accrediting agencies for higher education in the United States. The Commission accredits institutions of higher learning in:
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Connecticut
It is a recognized as an accrediting agency by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The NEASC CIHE outlines specific Standards for Accreditation that institutions must meet to maintain accreditation, and encourages affiliated institutions to work to improve educational quality on an ongoing basis. The accreditation process helps colleges and universities accomplish this.
Standards for Accreditation
The Standards for Accreditation are organized around eleven qualities that make an institution of higher learning effective. In brief, these eleven attributes include:
- An appropriate mission
- Proper planning and evaluation
- An effective governance structure
- Overall academic program quality
- Faculty competence
- Consistent and appropriate interactions with students and prospective students
- Access to information resources
- Appropriate physical and technological resources
- Sufficient financial resources
- Clear public disclosure of relevant information
- Overall integrity
Within these areas, the NEAS CIHE outlines specific criteria for meeting the standards of quality.
What NEASC CIHE Accreditation Means
Accreditation rests on a thorough assessment that includes both a self-study component and on-site evaluations. The NEASC CIHE actively solicits information from a variety of stakeholders during the review process. Ultimately, accreditation serves the interest of students and the public by ensuring that each institution provides quality educational offerings.
Article Resources:NEASC CIHE
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