Students should check to make sure their prospective school holds accreditation. College students can only receive federal loans and other types of financial aid if they attend a regionally or nationally accredited institution. Corporate tuition assistance programs and other loan and scholarship programs often include accreditation requirements as part of their application criteria.
Students who transfer schools often cannot transfer credit from a non-accredited institution. Regionally accredited institutions typically do not accept credit from nationally accredited colleges. Almost all schools accept credit from regionally accredited institutions. Academic programs or departments with specialized accreditation usually only accept transfer credit from programs with accreditation from the same specialized accrediting agency. Students should research accreditation status before they enroll in any postsecondary institution or program.
Students can also email or call the school or program. Most accredited schools and programs happily provide this type of assistance to students.
If a school or program refuses to provide accreditation information, consider it a red flag. After locating accreditation information for a school or program, make sure to check if it is listed on the registry of agencies approved by the ED.
If a school holds accreditation from a non-approved agency, students cannot get financial aid or transfer credit in most cases. Accreditation typically applies to educational institutions as a whole, but it can also apply on a programmatic basis.
Institutions can hold either regional or national accreditation. Read on to learn more about the differences between national, regional, and specialized accreditation. What is national accreditation? National accreditation usually applies to schools that focus on a specific type of education. Some programs only exist at nationally accredited colleges. Most religious schools and some technical training and vocational institutions receive national accreditation.
Some of the most well-known national accrediting organizations include the following:. What is regional accreditation? Regional accreditation means that a school met quality standards through a peer review process performed by an independent agency. Most nonprofit and public colleges and universities hold regional accreditation. The Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions is a group of seven regional accrediting agencies, listed below:.
Virgin Islands. Several differences exist between regional and national accreditation, and both types of accreditation present pros and cons. Regional accreditation offers greater prestige and wider acceptance. Many employers prefer or require job candidates from regionally accredited schools, particularly for specific professions like education, social work, and engineering.
Although regionally accredited schools may charge higher tuition rates than nationally accredited schools, they may receive better access to federal financial aid. Multinational corporations often resort to accreditation as a factor in hiring. This is especially true especially in new labor markets where the corporation may not have sufficient experience with graduates of various academic programs.
Some governments use program accreditation as a selection criterion of employment candidates. By hiring graduates of accredited programs, the government ensures that it may require them in the future to become licensed. The government often funds schools with accredited programs before it would accredit schools with unaccredited programs. In some cases, accreditation affects broader policy matters such as approving entry visas for out-of-country students who wish to enroll in a graduate academic program inside the country.
Academic programs, especially graduate programs, require that applicants demonstrate sufficient academic background to warrant admission, and therefore tend to prefer students who graduated from accredited programs over other students. It supports building awareness of the value of worldwide accreditation of academic programs in engineering, engineering technology, and computing.
More details Skip to main content. Why Accreditation? Accreditation comes in two main forms: regional and national level. Knowing the difference between them is extremely important for students to understand. The reason has to do with the credit transfers. Credits from nationally accredited schools are generally not accepted by regionally accredited ones. This is very important to know if you have any intention of transferring credits between schools.
Be sure to investigate the particulars of your situation! Make sure the accreditor is legitimate and appropriate for your academic goals. Otherwise, you could waste valuable time and money.
Below is a rundown of the two kinds of accreditation to help you:. Regional accreditation is split into six geographic regions across the U. Those include:. Regional accreditation is a highly regarded and recognized type of accreditation. Because of this, credits from a regionally accredited school typically transfer to nationally accredited schools, but not vice versa.
Since online schools are growing in their numbers, you want to still ensure that you attend a quality institution. For example, the University of the People received our accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission. Depending on the type of school, accrediting agencies determine what to look for. However, all schools must demonstrate how they serve students and accomplish their mission.
They must also show that they have resources in place to achieve their mission and that it has been successful throughout their operations and actions. Although the U. S Department of Education does not accredit schools themselves, they have a list of verified third parties that do so. Administered by specialized professionals in accrediting bodies. For example, law schools are generally accredited on a programmatic basis by the American Bar Association. This form of accreditation happens on a broad and institution-wide level by major accrediting bodies.
The most famous accrediting agencies in the United States are:. If a school is unaccredited, you can still attend it, but do so with caution. This is because you may miss out on the following important aspects:. In an effort to bring democratized and high-quality education to all people from all places, the Accreditation Reform Act of aims to:.
Overall, the US has experienced disproportionate educational standards for low-income students. This act aims to promote equality in education and ensure that all people have the right to access top-notch education.
Similarly, the University of the People was founded with the same mission to offer quality, online education to all people around the world as education is a human right. Not to mention, all degrees are tuition-free! As a student or prospective student, one of the most important considerations when choosing your school is to make sure it is accredited. Not only will this matter when potentially transferring credits, but it may also play a role in your employment opportunities down the line.
Accredited schools are more credible sources of education because third-party agencies have assessed their mission and promises. Apply Now. Request Info. Ask a student. UoPeople Arabic. Business Administration. Master's Degree MBA. Bachelor's Degree.
0コメント