Accreditation 101

Institutional Accreditation

Think of institutional accreditation as being comprehensive and related to the school as a whole. The post secondary school must meet all the standards set forth by the accreditation organization. This is only achieved through a rigorous peer review wherein the school’s process and procedures, administrative staff and faculty, facilities, student outcomes and services, programs and offerings, professional relations, financial wellness and much more are scrutinized to ultimately receive a grant. Said grant is a stamp of qualify issued to the school and sets it apart from unaccredited schools.

Programmatic Accreditation

Think of programmatic accreditation as being specific and related to a program, profession or specialization. This type of accreditation focuses on curriculum designed for professions generally regulated independently by respective jurisdictions – some of the more familiar areas include nursing, law, education and engineering. The review process and ultimate recognition is more centered on the program.

Regional Accreditation

There are six regions within the United States wherein regional accreditation organizations conduct business. Institutions within these regions are reviewed according to geographic location with the majority of these schools being well established, two or four year institutions, degree granting and nonprofits. This doesn’t preclude for-profits from seeking recognition though.

National Accreditation

National accreditation is conducted by a wide variety of organizations recognized by the Department of Education and their institutions are predominately made up of schools that are non-degree granting and they represent both public and private institutions. Believe it or not, recognition by the DOE is tougher for national accrediting agencies than their counter parts on the regional side.