Higher education accreditation is a critical component of any educational system because it ensures the credibility of degrees and certifications awarded by colleges and universities when properly administered. It’s intended to be a third-party assurance of educational quality, involving a process designed to reassure prospective students, potential employers of its graduates, and lenders that the institution provides a good education and that graduates have attained a level of competence in their fields. In fact, the Latin root of the words “accreditation,” “credibility,” and “credentials” is credibilitas. In many countries, government agencies assert this credibility, but in the United States, this responsibility is carried out by non-profit educational organizations.
In the United States, there are approximately 80 organizations involved in higher education accreditation. These organizations accredit degree-granting institutions in four different areas. Public and private two- and four-year institutions are accredited by regional institutional accreditors. National faith-based accreditors accredit religiously affiliated or doctrinally oriented institutions, such as seminaries, that are usually private. Single-purpose institutions, such as culinary arts schools, are the focus of national career-related accreditors’ efforts. Finally, specific programs within a college or university, such as law, nursing, or teaching, are accredited by programmatic accreditors.
Most American colleges and universities will then be accredited by dozens of programmatic accreditors in addition to one or more regional institutional accreditors. Higher education accreditation is earned through the college, university, or other higher education institution’s deliberate efforts. It’s a voluntary process in which the institution being evaluated is assessed against objective academic quality standards. As a result, the institution must seek accreditation on its own initiative.
Whether the accreditation is sought for the institution or one of the academic programs it offers, the process is generally the same. Higher education accreditation is essentially an inspection, so the institution should prepare by conducting a thorough and honest self-evaluation in accordance with the accrediting organization’s standards. This is essentially a list of the institution’s accomplishments and standards in all areas, such as degree requirements and the number of students who have completed them. Another important factor is the faculty’s qualifications and achievements. Following the self-evaluation, a period of peer review occurs, during which education professionals, usually from other colleges and universities, review the materials created during the self-evaluation and add their own comments and suggestions.
A site visit by the accrediting organization is the next step in the higher education accreditation process. Education professionals and interested laypeople who are members of the accrediting organization, usually on a volunteer basis, make up the visitation team. Following the site visit, the accrediting organization makes a decision — this is when the award or accreditation is given. Finally, accredited institutions must keep their accreditation through self-evaluations and site visits on a regular basis, as well as a concerted effort to improve the quality of the educational services they provide.
There are numerous benefits to accreditation, not the least of which is the fact that much of the financial aid available to students is contingent on the institution’s and program’s accreditation. Accreditation is usually the first major institutional goal for new schools, and losing accreditation is a calamitous event in the life of a college, university, or other school that is difficult to overcome.