Institutional Accreditation
Regional Accreditation | National Accreditation | Regional Versus National Accreditation

There are two basic types of accreditation for degree-granting institutions in the United States: institutional and programmatic. As its name implies, institutional accreditation reviews and accredits the whole institution. Programmatic accreditation, sometimes called professional accreditation or specialized accreditation, deals with programs, departments, or schools within an institution; for example, a physical therapy program, a business school, or a school of engineering. (For more information, see "Programmatic Accreditation.") Several different accrediting associations or bodies carry out each of these types of accreditation.

Institutional accreditation can be divided into two types: regional accreditation and national accreditation.

Regional Accreditation
Regional accreditation is the primary type of institutional accreditation used in the United States. It is carried out by six organizations that cover different geographic regions of the country. The six regional accrediting bodies collectively serve more than 3,500 of the approximately 3,600 degree-granting institutions in the United States. They are:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools — Commission on Higher Education (MSA/CHE)
  http://www.msache.org
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges — Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)
  http://www.neasc.org/cihe/cihe.htm
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools — The Higher Learning Commission
  http://www.ncacihe.org/
• Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges — Commission on Colleges and Universities
  http://www.cocnasc.org/
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) — Commission on Colleges
  http://www.sacscoc.org
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) — The Senior College Commission
  http://www.was.wascweb.org/

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National Accreditation
In addition, there are several national accrediting bodies that carry out institutional accreditation and are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education. For a complete and current list of these organizations, see:

• Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education
  http://www.chea.org
• U.S. Department of Education
  http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/closedschool/accred.html

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Regional Versus National Accreditation
Some institutions hold national rather than regional accreditation because they are unwilling or unable to meet the standards of regional accreditation. For example, regional accrediting bodies require that between one-quarter and one-third of the institution's curriculum be allocated to courses in general education (humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences); this is a problem for some specialized institutions. Another example involves colleges that are controlled by religious denominations that require that certain concepts (for example, creation) be taken on faith; since all regional accrediting associations require that institutions allow faculty and students the academic freedom to pursue all ideas, these institutions are not eligible for regional accreditation.

If you are considering a U.S. institution that holds national accreditation but not regional accreditation, you need to get answers to these questions:

• Will my home country's government, professional associations, and employers recognize a degree from an institution accredited by a particular national accrediting body but not a regional accrediting body?
• Will educational institutions in other countries recognize a degree from a nationally accredited U.S. institution?
• Have graduates of this U.S. institution been able to do with their degrees what I want to do with my degree? For example, how many have gained entry to a particular field of employment or were accepted into a more advanced degree program offered at another institution?

You should also be aware that many U.S. institutions that hold regional accreditation do not recognize credits or degrees earned at other U.S. institutions that are nationally accredited. This will be important to you if you decide to transfer from one U.S. institution to another part way through a degree program, or if you plan to pursue degrees at different U.S. institutions; for example, a bachelor's degree from one school and a master's degree from another.

For further information and advice, consult staff at a U.S. educational information or advising center in your home country.

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