When an aspiring grad student begins to research potential colleges for pursuing educational programs, one of the most important points to consider is accreditation. So what is accreditation, and why is it important?
When a school earns accreditation, it means that the institution has been evaluated by one or more independent accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S Department of Education, and the industry, and found to have gone through a high educational quality assurance process. To be accredited, entire institutions and/or educational offerings must go through a lengthy, in-depth accreditation process, and pass several stringent checks against pre-defined criteria and accreditation standards. This process can often take years to complete. Once accreditation is earned, the school must follow proper steps to keep the standards of their school’s programs high and maintain their accreditation status, with regular follow-up checks by the accrediting agency, to ensure the college is meeting all norms and obligations.
Students must comprehend the significance of earning a college diploma from an accredited institution and the dangers of earning a college diploma from an institution that does not accept transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions. For example, a student with an associate degree from a nationally accredited institution may not be able to transfer any credits to a regionally accredited school to count toward a degree.
In a nutshell, accreditation helps ensure that the hard work students put into their higher education will not be in vain; their degree will be recognized as the high-quality education they deserve.
Read on to find out answers to ‘what is accreditation?’, what the different types of accreditation are, how to determine whether an online master’s program or school is accredited, and more.
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