Accreditation is a process of external quality review. Accrediting
agencies develop standards of excellence in areas such as faculty,
curriculum, administration, and student services. Institutions and
programs that meet the standards and that are granted accreditation
continue on a path toward ongoing improvement.
Through the public recognition that accreditation provides,
students, sponsors, employers, and others can identify schools that
meet the standards for educational quality. Employers often want to
know that an employee graduated from an accredited school.
Accreditation is also important in the transfer of credit from one
school to another, and it can be a means for access to federal
education funding. In addition, accreditation is a means for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security to certify schools that are
eligible to issue the necessary documents for international students
to enter the country on a student visa.
Accreditation in the United States is carried out by private
non-governmental organizations. These agencies set standards and
establish policies and procedures for accreditation. There are two
types of accreditation.
Institutional accreditation applies to entire institutions, such as
2-year and 4-year colleges and universities, both public and
private, and single-purpose institutions such as private career
institutions. Regional and national accrediting agencies carry out
institutional accreditation. Six regional accrediting agencies
operate within the U.S. Examples are the Middle States Association
of Colleges and School and the New England Association of Schools
and Colleges. National accrediting agencies, such as the Distance
Education and Training Council and the Accrediting Bureau of Health
Education Schools, accredit single-purpose institutions.
Programmatic accreditation focuses on programs that are part of an
accredited institution. Such accreditation is carried out by
specialized and professional accrediting bodies, which operate to
ensure that students receive an education consistent with standards
for entry into practice into their respective fields or disciplines.
Examples of such agencies are the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy
Education and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
Specialized accrediting agencies may function as both institutional
and programmatic agencies. The Commission on English Language
Program Accreditation (CEA) is an example of a specialized
institutional and programmatic accrediting agency. CEA accredits
both independent English language schools and intensive English
programs in accredited universities and colleges. International
students who want to study English in the United States can use CEA
accreditation to identify accredited English language schools and
intensive English programs in colleges and universities.
Institutions and programs go through a series of steps to obtain and
maintain accredited status. They prepare an extensive self-study in
which they respond to the agency’s standards, undergo a multiple-day
site visit by a peer review team, are reviewed by a board or
commission that makes the accreditation decision, and participate in
annual reporting and re-accreditation on a set cycle. Throughout the
process, there is improvement of the education program and services.
Accreditation is an intensive process that involves faculty and
staff, and even some students.
Accrediting agencies may go through a recognition process in which
their standards, policies, and procedures are evaluated. Some
agencies choose to apply for recognition by the U.S. Department of
Education (USDE). USDE recognizes accrediting agencies whose
programs or institutions administer federal student aid funds or
that have other links to federal government programs. The
department’s regulations require accrediting agencies to establish
standards in specific areas (curriculum, faculty, student
achievement, fiscal and administrative capacity, student services,
etc.) and to implement accepted accreditation policies and
procedures. All accrediting agencies—regional, national, and
specialized—that are recognized by the USDE as reliable authorities
regarding the quality of the programs and schools they accredit are
listed on the USDE website at
https://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html?src=qc.
Another way for accrediting agencies to gain recognition is through
the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a private
organization that recognizes national, regional, and specialized
accrediting agencies and is a voice for voluntary accreditation and
quality assurance. Agencies that accredit institutions and programs
that grant degrees are eligible to seek CHEA recognition; a list of
these agencies is available at: www.chea.org.
In addition, specialized and professional accrediting agencies can
become members of the Association of Specialized and Professional
Accreditors (ASPA). ASPA’s mission is to represent its members on
issues of education quality, while also advancing the knowledge,
skills, good practices, and ethical commitments of accrediting
agencies. More information can be found on the ASPA website at:
www.aspa-usa.org.
Accreditation is a very useful tool that international students can
use to identify quality schools that meet their needs. The U.S.
Department of Education, CHEA, and ASPA websites are useful tools
that can lead prospective students to those institutions and
programs that have met quality standards through the rigorous
accreditation process.
Please contact the nearest EducationUSA advising center if you have
questions about the U.S. accreditation system, and an adviser can
guide you through the process.
While there is no single definition of a diploma mill, these are
generally illegal institutions that grant degrees in exchange for
money, often without requiring students to show proof of course
mastery or complete substantive coursework or testing. With the
rapid spread of the Internet, diploma mills have been appearing more
frequently and are increasingly difficult to track. At first glance,
many diploma mills are difficult to distinguish from legitimate
institutions of higher education, so it is important to check
accreditation when choosing a program.
If you encounter a diploma mill, please report it to an appropriate
authority (such as a local government education agency or the an
EducationUSA advising center). Diploma mills not only harm their
graduates by taking their money in exchange for bogus degrees; they
also hurt society in general and damage the reputation of legitimate
alternative and non-traditional education.
Diploma Mills and Accreditation: Resources and Publications: U.S.
Department of Education Website
Postsecondary Educational Institutions and Programs Accredited by
Accrediting Agencies and State Approval Agencies Recognized by the
U.S. Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education Accreditation website designed to help
students avoid online diploma mills. Provides a searchable list of
institutions accredited by federally approved organizations.
Avoid Fake-Degree Burns by Researching Academic Credentials
Report from the Office of Personnel Management and the Federal Trade
Commission with guidelines on unaccredited degrees and tips for
spotting diploma mills.
https://www.ossc.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.html
State of Oregon's Student Assistance Commission, Office of Degree
Authorization: Includes information on accreditation, diploma mills
and unaccredited institutions. Also provides a list of unaccredited
institutions, some of which are diploma mills, whose degrees cannot
be used in the State of Oregon.
https://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.html
Federal Trade Commission Scholarship Scams Website: Includes
information on how to spot fraudulent scholarship organizations and
a list of organizations that are currently defendants in scholarship
fraud. |
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