Regional vs. National Accreditation

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. But there are dozens of different accrediting organizations. Does it matter what agency accredits your school? After all, accreditation is accreditation, right?

Unfortunately, that is not quite true. The organization that accredits a college, university, or vocational program is a major indicator of educational quality. Your school must be evaluated by a recognized accrediting agency in order for you to get your money's worth. But with so many accrediting agencies (including fraudulent "accrediting agencies" with official-looking websites) how can you tell what to look for when you decide what school to attend?

Regional Accreditation

First of all, you need to know whether to find a school that has regional accreditation or national accreditation. The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit schools itself, but it does recognize certain accrediting agencies. You can check the DOE database for specific information on an accrediting body. You can also use the CHEA (Council on Higher Education Accreditation) as a source of information; however, if your school is not accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, you will not be eligible for financial aid, and you may have other difficulties, such as transferring credits or obtaining professional licenses.

The information below applies to institutional rather than programmatic accreditation; even if your school as a whole is accredited by one of these agencies, you would still need to make sure that your professional program is recognized by the appropriate state licensing bodies and professional associations.

The six regional accrediting agencies are as follows:

• North Central Association (NCA)
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Regional accrediting organizations assess public and private institutions of higher education, including distance education programs offered by these institutions. Although the accrediting agencies are regionally based, each one is widely recognized. There are also additional institutional accrediting agencies that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, such as the New York State Board of Regents.

National Accreditation

Students should be aware that while most nationally accredited institutions will accept transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions, the opposite is not true. A student who earns an associate's degree from a nationally accredited school, for example, may not be able to transfer any credits to count towards a degree at a regionally accredited school. Always check individual school policies if you plan to transfer schools later in your educational journey.

Note that the information in this article may be subject to change - for instance, if an accreditor changes its name - so always check the U.S. Department of Education database to be sure that your school is properly accredited, and discuss your plans with an admissions officer at your school, or the school to which you plan to transfer.

Article References

The U.S. Department of Education
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Agencies.aspx
http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Glossary.aspx

Washington State House of Representatives
http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/BillInfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/House/2783.HBA%2008.pdf