What Does Accredited Mean and Why Should You Care?

According to The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), accreditation consists of “a collegial process of self-review and peer review for improvement of academic quality and public accountability of institutions and programs. This quality review process occurs on a period basis, usually every 3 to 10 years.” ¹

Accreditation validates a school’s authenticity and legitimacy, holding it to a particular standard of quality in education. And it sets it apart from those institutions who are not offering those standards. Making sure a school and program you are interested in is accredited isn’t that difficult. More importantly, however, it may save you time and money in the long run when certifying that your prospective institutions and programs are legitimately accredited and accepted by future employers and professional associations.

If you are searching for a graduate school, not only should it be an accredited one, but the graduate programs you are interested in will most likely require that your undergraduate degree was from an accredited school as well.

Educational institutions must undergo a process through valid accreditation sources, which are private organizations that review higher education institutions based on set standards of quality and competency. Legitimate accrediting organizations are overseen and monitored by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and CHEA. Both the USDE and CHEA maintain databases of accredited institutions and programs. These resources will help ensure that your program is considered legitimate and that you will receive an education that provides you with the professional skills you need to succeed.

It is important to beware of fraudulent organizations claiming to offer accreditation. The USDE and CHEA are the governing bodies to recognize other accrediting organizations, and provide a list of the approved accrediting organizations in the United States.

Accreditation represents credibility in the eyes of employers, state and federal government agencies in charge of providing funding eligibility to both students and programs, and many graduate programs require undergrad programs to be accredited as a condition of consideration.

Graduating from an accredited grad school program will not only be an advantage but is often a requirement when searching for jobs postgraduation. For example, most employers in the legal field will require law students to have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school, and the accreditation status of your law school may affect whether you can take the BAR exam in your state.

If you are already in the workforce and your company offers a tuition reimbursement program, they may require the graduate school and program to be accredited to qualify for that reimbursement.

The most common forms of accreditation you need to worry about are regional and national, and it’s important to understand the differences.

This is the most common and accepted type of accreditation amongst institutions in the United States. There are six regional accrediting organizations recognized by the USDE and CHEA:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA)
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

What makes regional accreditation so important is the transferability of credits between schools. You can transfer credits between regionally accredited schools as well as nationally accredited ones, but not vice versa. Credits from nationally accredited schools and programs are usually not transferable to a regionally accredited school.

Nationally accredited schools tend to be reserved for trade, vocational and career schools, as well as some nursing programs. The recognized accrediting agencies for national accreditation are:

• Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
• Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
• Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)

Most graduate disciplines, such as business (ACBSP, AACSB, and others), law (ABA), and psychology (NASP), have their own accrediting bodies that you can research whether the program you are interested in is in fact recognized by a respected association.

As a graduate student, however, you will be more concerned about a program and institution being regionally accredited or accredited in the specialty you are interested in rather than nationally.

There are many factors to consider when searching for and applying to grad schools. The application process alone is a time-consuming undertaking, so ensuring that the schools you are applying to meet the highest standards possible should be a top priority.

Having a uniform set of standards and expectations imposed upon schools not only gives you the confidence that you are receiving a good education, but any future employers the confidence that you’ve received an adequate education and training for your chosen profession.

1 About CHEA | Council for Higher Education Accreditation