Accreditation: What It Is and How to Check for It
What Is Accreditation?
Higher education accreditation is a rigorous process in which independent, nonprofit agencies evaluate institutions and programs to ensure they meet educational standards. During the review process, accreditors may examine the school or program’s academic support, faculty quality, curriculum strength, and job preparation. Depending on the agency, accreditation status can last anywhere from 3-10 years before requiring renewal.
Why Accreditation Matters
Receive a high-quality education.
Access federal financial aid.
Transfer your academic credits.
Earn a legitimate credential.
Pursue graduate school.
Qualify for jobs and licensure.
Accreditation Types
There are two main types of accreditation: institutional and programmatic. Each has a different scope, with institutional accreditors reviewing the college or university as a whole and programmatic (or specialized) accreditors assessing only field-specific programs or departments.
Find institutional accreditors:
Find programmatic accreditors:
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How to Check if a School or Program Is Accredited
1. Review the school’s website.
Most accredited colleges and universities include a link to their accreditation details on their “About Us” page or a dedicated “Accreditation” page.
To find details on programmatic accreditation (not just institutional), you may need to navigate to the specific program or departmental homepage.
2. Cross-check against the accreditor’s directory.
Next, you need to confirm the accreditation status directly through the accrediting body. Schools and programs that were once accredited can lose their status if they fail a review, and their websites can contain outdated or inaccurate information.
Visit the accreditor’s website, and look for a directory of member schools or accredited programs. There, you can usually find additional details such as when the school or program is up for renewal.
3. Verify the accreditor’s legitimacy.
The final step is to ensure that the accrediting body itself is a legitimate agency. For institutional accreditors and certain programmatic accreditors, this means being recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). ED recognition is a requirement for federal financial aid eligibility.
For other programmatic accreditors, recognition by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is typically desired. That said, there are some agencies leading accreditation in their fields despite not being CHEA- or ED-recognized, such as ABET and AACSB.
Unaccredited Colleges and Diploma Mills
Attending an unaccredited school — also known as a “diploma mill” — can put your financial aid and future education and career opportunities at risk.
Check out our tips and resources on unaccredited schools below.
Signs That a School Is Not Accredited
- Claims accreditation by an agency that’s not recognized by ED
- Has a pending accreditation status with no estimated finalization date
- Provides no physical address on its website
- Makes outlandish promises and claims, such as that you can earn a degree in weeks
- Hides faculty credentials or hires faculty who attended unaccredited schools
- Offers programs far less rigorous than those at accredited schools
- Accepts transfer credits without requiring official transcripts
- Awards degrees based solely on prior experience — no coursework required
