School Accreditation Is An Important Factor To Consider When Applying

One of the areas that students might want to consider when deciding upon a college or university to attend is whether or not the institution is accredited. Accreditation, which is provided by national and regional government and non-government agencies, is intended to make sure that colleges and universities provide quality education.

Accrediting agencies themselves determine how to evaluate different colleges and universities. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes some of these agencies as being reliable determinants of whether colleges and universities provide the quality education that merits accreditation.

Accreditation, for students, can mean the difference between obtaining scholarships and grants that can help pay for higher education. When institutions are accredited by agencies recognized by the Department of Education as well, students are more likely able to transfer academic credits.

There is, according to the Department of Education, a list of nearly 7,000 institutions of higher education and their programs that are accredited by agencies recognized by the department that students can access online. It makes this information available in a database that students can search. Employers who are looking at the credentials of job candidates might also find it useful. Many companies do not value college degrees that are not earned from accredited institutions of higher learning.

The regional and national accrediting agencies that the U.S. Department of Education recognizes are many. They include the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, and the Distance Education and Training Council Accrediting Commission.

Colleges and universities that are accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools also are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The agency might be a federal one, but its accreditation recognition can help students obtain financial aid and transfer credits associated with private institutions as well.

Many agencies handle accreditation for colleges and universities in certain regions of the United States. There are also agencies that provide accreditation for specific programs, such as those involving medicine and law. Although the Department of Education doesn't accredit colleges and universities outside of the United States, a National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation does compare the standards for accrediting medical schools abroad with standards for accreditation of these schools in the United States, and this can affect a student's ability to obtain certain loans to pay for his or her education.

Deciding on a college, university, or technical school can be a difficult task. Without the proper accreditation, students might have a difficult time with the most basic of requirements for entry to higher education - paying the tuition and fees associated with college and university studies and then earning academic credits and a degree that might hold value in terms of transferability and credibility in the eyes of employers. To be on the safe side, it is wise for all students to make sure that they are earning an accredited degree from a nationally accredited school.