Reasons to Look for an Accredited College
In the United States, accreditation is awarded to educational institutions that meet certain standards of academic quality set by a private third-party accrediting agency. The accreditation of a college affects your education in more ways than one, so let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you should only apply to an accredited college.
What do you mean by accreditation?
Accreditation is an independent review process of programs, facilities, and faculty that educational institutions undergo. Accreditation provides a student with the reassurance that the institution is running legitimately, has pre-approved programs of study, qualified and experienced professors, up-to-date facilities and equipment, and reasonable admission procedures.
The three main types of accreditation are regional, national, and specialized. Regional and national accreditation is granted to entire institutions by accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Specialized accreditation is awarded to programs offering specialized courses. For example, the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) accredits the respiratory therapy programs offered by regionally or nationally accredited institutions.
What is the process of accreditation?
The process of accreditation must follow certain steps. These are:
· Self-evaluation: The institution seeking accreditation works with an accrediting agency to establish criteriathat must be met to receive accreditation.
· Review process: A team of reviewers sent by the accrediting agency visit the institution to ensure the set criteria has been met.
· Granting accreditation: Once the review team is satisfied that the institution has met these standards, accreditation is granted to the institution.
· Ongoing rotational review:Once accreditation has been awardedto an institution, the process doesn’t just end there. The institution is required to undergo a review on a rotational basis once every few years, to ensure it adheres to its established standards of quality.
What about unaccredited institutions?
Some institutions might choose to not seek accreditation because of the cost of accreditation, even though the school provides a sound education.Other institutions, however, do not seek accreditation because the programs they offer are ineffective and degrees earned from these institutions hold no importance in the outside world. These institutions are often called diploma/degree mills, and you should be wary of them. If you happen to come across an institution that has no mention of its accreditation on its website, or claims to be accredited by an agency recognized neither by the USDE or CHEA, it is likely that you’re dealing with a diploma mill.
How does accreditation affect you?
When your institution is accredited by the right agency, not only can you be sure of the quality of your school’s program, but also the quality ofyour instructors. The other ways in which accreditation directly affects you are:
· Financial aid: Students rely on financial aid to help pay for college. However, financial aid is only offered to students who attend an accredited institution.
· Transferring credits: If you wish to transfer your credits to another college, you can only do so to and from an accredited institution.
· Employment: Potential employers will recognize and accept degrees from accredited institutions.
How do you find out if the institution you’re applying to is accredited?
By simply looking up their website, you can tell if an institution has received proper accreditation. Accredited colleges mention the accreditation they have received on their websites. Take for instance, CollegeAmerica. CollegeAmerica accreditationis through the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.The college discusses the importance of accreditation at length on their website in order to be helpful to students who don’t know much about it to begin with.
Make a smart decision about your college education: apply to an accredited school.