How Does Nursing Accreditation Work? And Which Accreditor Is Best?

Accreditation in higher education recognizes institutions and programs that follow the best practices for educating students set by the U.S. Department of Education. In the nursing field, accreditation is especially important. 

Schools and programs choose to invest in the accreditation process because it provides prestige, helps them secure certain types of funding, and helps attract prospective students. 

That’s because only accredited nursing schools have been certified for meeting rigorous quality standards in the education they provide to prospective licensed practical nurses (LPN), registered nurses (RN), and advanced practice RNs (APRN).

Unfortunately, graduates from unaccredited nursing programs often can’t earn their nursing license or transfer academic credits to an accredit institution. 

This guide provides everything you need to know about nursing school accreditation.

Accredited nursing schools meet high standards set by the U.S. Department of Education for faculty, facilities, materials, and graduate outcomes, such as the percentage of a school’s students who passed licensure exams. 

Generally speaking, the two most powerful programmatic accrediting bodies that monitor and approve nursing programs in the U.S. are:

In addition to ACEN and CCNE, two smaller nursing accreditors evaluate select graduate-level nursing programs. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs and the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education accredit nurse anesthesia and similar programs, respectively.

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There are two different layers to accreditation in higher education, and multiple independent agencies serve as accrediting bodies. When the entire college or university is accredited, that’s called institutional accreditation, and it is considered the gold standard. 

Institutional accreditation is often overseen by regional agencies, but there are also national agencies that provide the service. 

In addition, individual programs within the school can receive a separate accreditation called programmatic accreditation. This ensures the program meets strict quality standards that matter for that particular field of study and is common in healthcare programs such as nursing school and medical school. 

It’s important to note that regional institutional accreditation is very expensive, so some schools may only have programmatic accreditation. For that reason, program accreditation can be the most important factor for prospective nursing students to evaluate when it comes to accreditation. 

Because there are far too many schools and programs for the federal government to monitor on its own, the education department has approved specific accrediting agencies to do this important work. 

As independent nonprofits, both CCNE and ACEN perform this work in the nursing space, developing standards and conducting reviews to ensure programs meet or exceed standards.

Nursing accreditation matters even after graduation. Most employers only hire nurses who graduated from accredited programs. In most states, you must graduate from an accredited nursing program to take the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN exam and apply for a nursing license. The same goes for advanced practice nursing certifications — you must send transcripts from an accredited program in order to sit for your board exams.

Most nursing schools in the US are accredited. For example, about 90% of bachelor’s and master’s programs are accredited, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

So while it is important to confirm your school is properly accredited, you can rest easy knowing the risk of finding or attending an unaccredited school is relatively low, assuming you’ve do some basic research. 

Additionally, a school may temporarily lose its accreditation If a nursing school falls below quality thresholds, they typically have two years to correct issues before they lose accreditation, so completely losing accreditation is a rare occurrence. 

Factors that can contribute to temporarily losing accreditation include:

CCNE and ACEN accreditations are very similar, but they do have a few differences. Both accrediting bodies are excellent and highly respected in nursing education. The biggest difference is that unlike ACEN, which accredits nursing programs of all levels, CCNE accredits only bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs.

ACEN recognizes nursing programs that meet certain standards and effectively prepare students for nursing careers.

The organization traces its roots back to 1917 when the National League of Nursing Education published the earliest standards for nursing schools. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education since 1952, ACEN is the oldest nursing accreditor.

ACEN accredits nursing education programs of all levels, from certificate and diploma programs to graduate programs. In addition to accrediting programs offered at colleges and universities, ACEN accredits hospital-based training programs.

The standards above help ACEN evaluate programs and grant accreditation.

CCNE accredits nursing programs that “engage in effective educational practices.” When accrediting programs, CCNE emphasizes self-assessment and continuous improvement.

In total, the organization has accredited more than 1,800 bachelor’s, graduate, and nursing residency programs.

Founded in 1996 by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, CCNE is recognized by ED as a valid accreditor of nursing programs.

Unlike ACEN — which accredits nursing programs of all levels — CCNE accredits only bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs.

By developing these strict standards, CCNE ensures that nursing programs effectively prepare students for successful careers.

“CCNE serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices,” writes CCNE on its website.

When comparing nursing programs, it makes sense to check the program’s accreditation status. 

But which is the better accreditation for nursing schools: ACEN or CCNE?

Here are the biggest differences between CCNE vs. ACEN, as well as some key similarities:

So which nursing accreditor is better?

Both accrediting bodies provide legitimacy and guarantee a minimum quality standard for nursing education. If you’re considering an RN through an associate degree nursing (ADN) program or an LPN program, consider prioritizing ACEN accreditation. If you’re pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in nursing, you can feel confident with either ACEN or CCNE accreditation.

Ultimately, what matters most is choosing an accredited nursing program — whether the program is accredited by CCNE or ACEN doesn’t matter much. Both agencies set rigorous standards to ensure nursing students get a high-quality education.

Other factors, such as graduate placement rates, nursing specialization, financial aid opportunities, and licensing exam pass rates, matter far more for students than which of the two nursing accreditors a program has.