Why do we need accreditation

Specialized accreditation typically applies to certain vocations such as law or nursing. In this case, the accrediting agency is a professional organization that evaluates the effectiveness of a program in terms of how well it prepares students to meet certain professional standards. Students should determine if their career path requires that their program of choice be accredited by one of these specialized agencies before committing to a program.

Department of Education does not accredit colleges and universities itself, but it does maintain a database of accredited schools and recognized accrediting agencies. This is an excellent place for students to start looking for information about school and program accreditation.

The CHEA also does not accredit institutions itself, but it has information about accrediting agencies. An accredited degree can make a huge difference in your future career; doing a little research now can save time and trouble in the future. Imagine five students, with rosy future careers as a lawyer, librarian, dentist, nurse, and psychologist lying ahead of them. Although their interests and career paths are radically different, they all have one important question to answer before choosing their professional program.

Is their program of choice-not just their college or university-properly accredited? In order to answer this question, each student must first understand the difference between institutional accreditation and program accreditation. For institutional accreditation, representatives from dedicated accrediting institutions evaluate colleges and universities. This is a means for colleges and universities to assess their own performance and compare themselves with other schools.

If a school is awarded accreditation means that the institution meets certain standards of educational quality. The most widely accepted institutional accrediting bodies in the United States are six regional agencies:. Institutional accreditation is not necessarily a guarantee that credits will transfer between institutions, although it does make it far more likely.

Students can check with the program to which they wish to transfer to see if credits will be accepted. Attending an accredited program also carries numerous other benefits. Students at institutionally accredited organizations are eligible for federal financial aid, and employers are much more likely to recognize accredited degree programs. Furthermore, having undergone an accreditation process means that the institution meets a high standard of educational quality. In contrast, many unaccredited institutions are the equivalent of diploma mills, providing nothing of actual value to their students.

Similarly, some "accrediting agencies" are also mills, set up simply to give an aura of legitimacy to the institutions that they falsely accredit. Students should always check the U. Department of Education database of recognized accrediting bodies and institutions.

The second type of accreditation, program accreditation, is generally administered by professionally oriented specialty accrediting bodies.

The idea is that professionals in a given field are best able to judge a program's educational quality. For instance, law schools are accredited by the American Bar Association and library schools are accredited by the American Library Association. Individual professions-such as nursing, dentistry, and psychology-are covered by their own specialized agencies. In many cases, attending a program that is recognized by the right agency is a prerequisite for obtaining a job in fields such as psychology, law, and healthcare.

Many programmatic accreditors such as the APA require that accredited programs be housed in an institutionally accredited school. Programs may be offered that are judged by these specialty bodies, without necessarily possessing institutional accreditation. For instance, continuing education programs within non-educational settings such as hospitals may be accredited by a specialized accreditation agency. Such courses may count professionally towards professional certifications or state licenses but will not transfer for college transfer credit.

Similarly, if a specialty body accredits a program at a school, but the school itself is not institutionally accredited, the program may have professional value, yet credits will not transfer and students may not be able to receive federal financial aid.

Since professional requirements vary, it is crucial to find out what accreditation is necessary for a given career. No matter what vocation a student chooses, it is wise for her to become familiar with the professional requirements in the field. Tools for investigating professional accreditation requirements include:. With a little research into accreditation, students can be assured of taking the right steps towards a rewarding career.

Department of Education Back To Top. You have done your research. You know how important accreditation is to your educational experience, and you are determined to find out if your school of choice is accredited before you commit to a program.

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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? One from an unaccredited school or program is worthless. It also ensures that the credits you receive from that school are transferable to another school.

Before giving money to an institution, your first step should always be to make sure that it is properly accredited. The top level of accreditation is done by the U.

The USDE uses a rigorous process to assess national and regional accreditors. These accreditation associations then go out and assess colleges for quality and legitimacy. Each college or university must do this at least once every five years.

Their site is also a great resource for checking the legitimacy of schools. Accreditation comes in two main forms: regional and national level. Knowing the difference between them is extremely important for students to understand.

The reason has to do with the credit transfers. Credits from nationally accredited schools are generally not accepted by regionally accredited ones. This is very important to know if you have any intention of transferring credits between schools.