How Colleges Become Accredited

How Colleges Become Accredited

In the United States, non-governmental organizations evaluate colleges and universities and grant accreditation to those that meet nationwide standards. The accreditation process is therefore not conducted directly by the government, although the accreditation agencies are themselves evaluated by the US Secretary of Education. The process is intended to assist students in deciding on where to continue their education, to promote the general elevation of educational standards around the country and to determine which institutions are worthy of private or public funds.

Accreditation begins with the establishment of educational standards, which is continuously performed by the accreditation agencies in cooperation with colleges. Colleges seeking accreditation conduct an intensive internal evaluation of their own practices and educational environment to determine whether it is up to par with those of other schools in addition to the agreed-upon standards. This evaluation includes close scrutiny of the curricula of specific courses at the college, judgment of the caliber of the professors leading the institution and the quality of the work of the students themselves.

Following this self-evaluation, the accreditation agency visits the school and conducts its own assessment of those same aspects with guidance from the school's report. The agency then determines whether or not to grant accreditation, and in the case of a successful application, the college is listed in the agency's publication of accredited schools.

After the initial process, the agency makes periodic reevaluations of the college to ensure compliance with its standards. The process is an important step in the establishment of a new educational institution, and most are not successful without winning accreditation.

US Department of Education – Overview of Post-Secondary Accreditation