What does accredited mean with university

Accreditation agencies look for different attributes depending on the type of school and most specialize it certain kinds of learning institutions. A vocational culinary institute, for example, will face different accreditation standards than a medical school residency program because of the very different fields.

However, all schools are subject to some overarching principles of accreditation that span fields and form the foundation for the process. For instance, all accrediting institutions hold that schools must have a clearly defined mission that aims to better educate and serve the students.

Further, all schools must demonstrate that the school has the resources to achieve its mission while showing evidence of the mission being achieved. Additionally, almost all institutions must commit to periodic and unannounced external reviews as well as a rigorous internal review programs to ensure that accreditation standards are continually being met.

The answer to this question is very important. You will need to make sure that your school is accredited by a reputable agency. The U. However, due to the large amount of fraudulent online schools, fake accrediting agencies have been popping up all over the Web. Do not fall into their trap. Secretary of Education recognizes the agencies believed to be reliable authorities on accreditation and lists these agencies on the US Department of Education's website.

Making sure the agency your school is accredited by is on this list is the easiest way to ensure the accreditation is legitimate.

If you live outside the U. CHEA is the international authority on post-secondary accreditation and also maintains a list of agencies it deems reputable on its website. It may seem like accreditation has no importance to you as a student, but that could not be further from the truth.

When you graduate and look for a job, employers take into consideration the school you attended and if it is accredited by a reliable agency. If your degree is from an institution that has questionable accreditation, employers will question the validity of your degree and your potential as a good job candidate. Also, if you plan on transferring to another institution at any time in your academic career, no school will take transfer credits from an unaccredited university.

Does "accreditation" just seem like a random piece of college jargon to you? If so, you are not alone. Many students are unsure about what accreditation means and why it is important. After all, as long as you learn the material, you should be able to walk away with a degree that means something, right? Not necessarily. While some unaccredited programs might offer valuable learning experiences, not all educational offerings are created equal. Attending an unaccredited program can mean that you will not be eligible for federal financial aid, you will not be able to transfer credits to another school, and you will not be able to obtain appropriate professional licensure in your field.

Accreditation can make the difference between embarking on an exciting career path, or being saddled with debt and worthless credits. Accreditation is a voluntary evaluation process that institutions of higher education undergo in order to maintain standards of educational quality agreed upon by members of an accrediting body.

Accreditation assessments may include self-study on the part of the institution as well as evaluations by representatives of peer institutions who belong to the same accrediting agency. There are numerous accrediting agencies in the United States. The most widely recognized accrediting agencies for colleges and universities are:. Accreditation by these agencies and some other similar agencies is known as institutional accreditation. In addition, some careers may require that students attend programs with specialized 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.

Department of Education you might remember the infamous Tri Valley University But the website address is definitely an easy indicator you can look at. Most standard, full-service colleges and universities will be accredited by one of 6 regional accrediting agencies.

They are:. There are also a number of national accrediting agencies, and specialized accrediting agencies will often accredit specific programs within universities, professional or vocational schools, and other specialized institutions. And the Department of Education also has a list of the agencies it has approved. Wikipedia also has a handy list of unrecognized accreditation organizations that is, agencies that are not considered legitimate accreditation authorities.

This second type of accreditation is called programmatic accreditation. Not all of a school's programs will have its own separate accrediting body, but many professional programs will; a few examples include engineering, nursing, law, medicine and business.

Prospective students choosing to enroll in one of these types of professional programs are strongly encouraged to ensure that their chosen program and school are both accredited by their respective accrediting bodies.

Accreditation signifies that the educational institution provides a quality education by meeting specific academic standards. These standards typically revolve around the school's ability to provide academic support to its students, the rate in which students are expected to progress, how well students are prepared upon graduation, faculty quality and curriculum requirements.

Accreditation ensures that all colleges in that particular region or area that obtain accreditation can compete against each other on a level playing field; for instance, a student won't necessarily get a better education at one college over another. By attending an accredited school or program, a student knows that they will obtain a certain level of knowledge and training.

Accreditation also increases the likelihood that an external party, such as another school or employer, will recognize the academic credential the students has worked so hard to achieve. Without accreditation, there is no way for an employer, government agency or another school to know that the student didn't just buy a college degree from a degree mill over the weekend.

Though that sounds far-fetched, before accreditation came along, it was an entirely possible scenario. The consequences of going to a non-accredited school will depend on the exact reason the student enrolls in a course or program. But generally speaking, if a student attends a school that's not accredited, they will miss out on certain advantages and face the possibility of graduating with a degree, diploma or certificate that is practically worthless beyond any personal satisfaction the student may garner from the accomplishment.

Students interested in an online college or university should be particularly careful to make sure the school is accredited. Most online programs in the United States today are not degree mills and expect the same level of academic performance from their online and on-campus students. However, the risk remains and prospective students interested in a particular school or program should verify its accreditation status as soon as possible, even before applying.

This is because there's little point in completing an application, possibly paying an application fee and writing an admissions essay to a school that's not accredited. But how can a student know for sure? The following is the process by which prospective students can tell if a particular school is accredited by a recognized accrediting agency.

Most accredited educational institutions will have a link to their accreditation status on the bottom or corner of their front page. At the very least, it should be easily found through the website's search function.

If looking for programmatic accreditation, the prospective student will probably need to find the accreditation information on the specific program's homepage. Even though a school's website claims it's accredited, an unscrupulous school could lie about its accreditation status and put whatever it wants on its website. Therefore, students should also check the website of the accrediting agency that has accredited the specific school. Any legitimate accreditation agency will have an easy way to look up a particular school and verify current accreditation status.

So the school says they're accredited and the accrediting agency confirms they've accredited the school. That's it, right? Not quite. Schools without Department of Education or CHEA recognized accreditation know they're lacking a very important characteristic, one that most students will demand.

Therefore, unscrupulous schools work very hard to confuse or trick prospective students into thinking the school is accredited. They might even take another route and claim accreditation isn't necessary given the school's other selling points.

One way schools will try to fool students is by getting accredited by an "accreditation mill. In some instances, an accreditation mill will simply provide the accreditation status after the school pays a fee.

The following is a list of red flags that may signify a school is not accredited or is accredited by an accreditation mill. Most of these red flags by themselves will not automatically mean a school isn't properly accredited, but if there are multiple issues popping up, prospective students should probably apply elsewhere.

Holding both a Master's degree and a Ph. Todd Pfannestiel is currently the interim provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Clarion University, a regional public institution in northwest Pennsylvania. He previously served as Dean of the College of Arts, Education, and Sciences at Clarion, where he also taught as a professor of history.

Explore these resources to help you make informed decisions and prepare for whatever is thrown your way. Connect with a community of peers, and find a program that will allow you to continue your education in a fast and flexible way. How Does College Accreditation Work? Top Online Programs Explore programs of your interests with the high-quality standards and flexibility you need to take your career to the next level.