Accreditation Status

Accreditation is a status granted to an educational institution or a program that has been found to meet or exceed stated criteria of educational quality. In the United States, accreditation is voluntarily sought by institutions and programs and is conferred by non-gonvernmental bodies.

Accreditation has two fundamental purposes: to certify the quality of the institution or program and to assist in the improvement of the institution or program.

The bodies conducting institutional accreditation are national or regional in scope and comprise the institutions that have achieved and continue to maintain accreditation. A specialized (or program) body conducting accreditation of a program preparing students for a profession or occupation is often closely associated with professional associations in the field.

Both institutional and specialized bodies conduct the accreditation process by using a common pattern. The pattern requires integral self-study of the institution or program, followed by an on-site visit by an evaluation committee and a subsequent review and decision by a central governing group. Within this general pattern, the various accrediting bodies have developed a variety of individual procedures adapted to their own circumstances.

Institutional or specialized accreditation cannot guarantee the quality of individual graduates or of individual courses within an institution or program, but can give reasonable assurance of the context and quality of the education offered. Both institutional and specialized accreditation speak to the conditions of the institution or program and not to specific details of educational outcome.