When a college or university in the USA is accredited, such as Western Governors University, there is a guarantee that the entire institution has met specific standards assuring a quality education. However, sometimes only specific degree programs within an institutions, internal college or internal school may be accredited. If you are attending one of the many online colleges or universities, accreditation means that you are assured of the same quality of education as students attending the traditional campus courses given in classrooms. Additionally, students are assured of the same student services; these may include the right to be admitted, counseled, tutored and receive financial aid and other services – no different than students receiving traditional classroom instruction.
Cautions
If you attend a non-accredited institution, you may encounter a number of problems. The school will not be able to participate in government student assistance programs, which means you may not be able to receive federal grants or loans. If your employer offers you tuition assistance, meaning they offer to pay a significant portion of your tuition costs, you may not be eligible for the assistance. Additionally, if you need to transfer credits from a non-accredited institution to an accredited institution, the transfer will not be accepted.
Not all college accreditation associations are legitimate. However, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) both serve as watchdog organizations by recognizing accrediting agencies and validating their accrediting functions.
Regional Accreditation Agencies
There are six regional accrediting agencies within the U.S. These are all recognized by both the U.S. DOE and CHEA. Additionally, they all recognize each other, meaning if one of these agencies grants a given institution accreditation, then all of the other regional accrediting agencies, and the institutions they have accredited, will also recognize that institution. Credits may be transferred between such colleges and universities; and credit for different degree programs can be granted. For example, a bachelor’s degree may be recognized for entrance into a master’s degree program; or a master’s degree may be recognized for entrance into a Ph.D. or doctoral degree program. Here is a list of the six regional accreditation agencies and their websites:
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
(http://www.neasc.org/)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
(http://www.sacscoc.org/)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
(http://www.msche.org/)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
(http://www.wascweb.org/)
- North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI)
(http://www.ncacasi.org/)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
(http://www.nwccu.org/)
On their respective websites, each of these six agencies has a listing of all the colleges and universities which they have accredited. In addition to accrediting higher education institutions in the U.S., some of these agencies also do accreditation for institutions in other countries and U.S. territories. For example, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges provides accreditation services in 65 different nations; and the Middle States Commission On Higher Education provides these services in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Nearly all of the online colleges and universities on The Best Colleges Online are accredited; and the accrediting agencies are also noted. For a listing of these and other accredited online institutions, you may want to visit the Distance Learning College Guide.Com, which highlights accredited online degrees and colleges.
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