- Introduction
- How to use
- How to check
- Red flags to watch
- Accreditation means?
- Accreditation Matters
- Types of Accreditation
- Regional and National Accreditation
- Who Recognizes Accreditors?
- How to Verify
- Ask About Accreditation
- Accreditation vs Rankings
- Evaluates Accreditation in Rankings
- Accreditation and Online Master’s Programs
- Students Make When Evaluating Accreditation
- FAQs
- Related Resources
- Contact for Questions
- Edited By Jeevan D'Souza
- Expert Reviewed By Soumen Chatterjee
Accreditation is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing an online master’s program. It helps students evaluate whether a college or program meets recognized academic standards and whether the degree is likely to be respected by employers, licensing bodies, and other institutions.
This guide explains what accreditation means, why it matters, and how to verify a school’s accreditation status before enrolling.
OnlineMastersColleges.com (OMC) uses accreditation as a foundational filter when evaluating programs, ensuring that all rankings and comparisons include institutions that meet recognized academic quality standards.
Key Takeaways: Accreditation
- Accreditation is a review process used to evaluate whether an institution or program meets recognized quality standards.
- Students should review both institutional accreditation and, where relevant, programmatic accreditation.
- Accreditation can affect credit transfer, financial aid eligibility, employer recognition, and licensure pathways.
- Students should verify accreditation directly through official institutional and accreditor sources before enrolling.
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Southern New Hampshire University
PROGRAM: Best & Affordable Online Degrees
Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with more than 3,000 on-campus students and over 60,000 online students, making us one of the fastest-growing universities in the country. Founded in 1932, we’ve been relentlessly reinventing higher education ever since and have gained national recognition for our dedication to helping students transform their lives and the lives of those around them.
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Start Here: How to Use This Guide
If you want to quickly verify a program
If you are comparing programs
use accreditation as a baseline filter, then compare cost, format, and outcomes
If you are pursuing licensure
check programmatic accreditation for your field
How to Check Accreditation in 60 Seconds
For students who want a quick way to verify a program before diving deeper, the steps below provide a fast accreditation check.
Use this checklist before applying to any program.
- Go to the institution’s official website and locate the accreditation section
- Note the name of the accrediting agency
- Verify the accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA database
- Confirm the accreditation status is current
- If applicable, check whether the specific program holds specialized accreditation
This process helps ensure that accreditation claims are accurate and current.
Red Flags to Watch For
The following red flags may indicate that a program does not meet recognized accreditation standards.
- Claims accreditation but does not name the accrediting body
- Lists an accreditor that is not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA
- Uses vague terms such as “globally accredited” without verification
- Does not provide clear accreditation information on its official website
- Promises unusually fast degrees without clear academic structure
These may indicate that a program does not meet recognized academic standards.
What Accreditation Means
In higher education, accreditation is a quality-review process conducted by recognized accrediting organizations. Colleges and universities voluntarily undergo review to demonstrate that they meet established standards related to academic quality, governance, student support, and institutional effectiveness.
When a school or program is accredited, it generally means that it has been evaluated against a defined set of standards and has met those requirements at the time of review. Accreditation does not mean every program is identical or that every outcome is guaranteed. It does mean the institution or program has passed an external quality-review process that students can use as part of their decision-making.
Why Accreditation Matters for Graduate Students
Accreditation directly affects whether a program is recognized, transferable, and aligned with professional or licensure requirements.
Degree Credibility
Employers, graduate schools, and professional organizations often expect degrees to come from accredited institutions or accredited programs.
Financial Aid Eligibility
Institutional accreditation can affect whether students may access certain forms of financial aid and whether institutions participate in recognized federal aid systems.
Credit Transfer and Future Education
Students who later transfer schools, pursue a certificate, or continue into doctoral study may find that accreditation status affects whether prior academic work is recognized.
Licensure and Certification Pathways
In some professional fields, specialized programmatic accreditation may matter for licensure, certification, internship placement, or professional advancement.
Student Confidence
Accreditation can provide added confidence that a program has been evaluated through an external review process rather than relying only on marketing claims.
Types of Accreditation Students Should Know
Students researching online master’s programs should usually pay attention to two main categories of accreditation.
Institutional Accreditation
Institutional accreditation applies to the college or university as a whole. It evaluates the broader institution, including academic quality, administration, student services, and overall operations.
For most students, institutional accreditation is the first thing to verify because it helps establish whether the school itself meets recognized standards.
Programmatic Accreditation
Programmatic accreditation applies to a specific school, department, or academic program within an institution. This is especially important in fields where industry standards, licensure expectations, or professional preparation matter.
Examples may include accreditation in business, counseling, nursing, social work, engineering, education, public health, and other specialized disciplines.
A university may hold recognized institutional accreditation, while only certain programs also hold specialized accreditation.
Institutional vs. Programmatic Accreditation
These two forms of accreditation serve different purposes.
- Institutional accreditation evaluates the university as a whole.
- Programmatic accreditation evaluates a specific academic program or discipline.
For example, a university may be institutionally accredited, while its MBA, counseling, nursing, or social work programs may also hold specialized accreditation relevant to that field.
Students should review both levels when researching graduate programs, especially if they plan to pursue licensure or a profession with formal credentialing requirements.
Understanding Regional and National Accreditation
Students often still encounter the terms “regional accreditation” and “national accreditation” when researching colleges.
Historically, regional accreditation was commonly associated with nonprofit colleges and universities, while national accreditation was more often associated with vocational, technical, religious, or career-focused institutions. The current page discusses this distinction heavily, including the idea that transferability and recognition may differ across accreditation types.
For today’s students, the more useful question is usually not simply whether a school is “regional” or “national,” but whether the institution is accredited by a recognized accrediting body and whether that status aligns with the student’s academic and career goals.
Students considering transfer plans, doctoral study, or professional licensure should still verify how a particular school, employer, or licensing body treats the accreditation held by the institution and program they are considering.
Who Recognizes Accreditors?
Students can verify recognized accrediting agencies through official databases maintained by:
Common careers include:
Recognition matters because it helps students confirm that the accreditor itself is part of a recognized quality-assurance framework.
How to Verify a School’s Accreditation Status
Students should never rely only on marketing language that says a school is “accredited.” Instead, they should verify accreditation directly.
The steps below expand on the quick verification process above and provide a more detailed review. A strong verification process usually looks like this:
1. Check the institution’s official website
Look for accreditation details on the university’s website, usually in the footer, about page, or accreditation section.
2. Identify the accrediting body
Find the name of the institutional accreditor and, where relevant, any programmatic accreditor.
3. Verify the accreditor
Check whether the accrediting organization is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA.
4. Confirm program-level accreditation if needed
If you are entering a field with licensure, certification, or professional practice requirements, verify whether the specific graduate program holds specialized accreditation.
5. Check current status
Because accreditation status can change, students should confirm that the information is current at the time they apply or enroll.
Questions Students Should Ask About Accreditation
When evaluating a school or program, students should consider questions such as:
- Is the university institutionally accredited?
- Is the accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA?
- Does the specific graduate program hold specialized accreditation where relevant?
- Will this accreditation support my licensure, certification, transfer, or doctoral study goals?
- Has the institution clearly published its accreditation information?
Accreditation vs Rankings: What Matters More?
Accreditation and rankings serve different purposes.
Accreditation establishes whether a program meets baseline quality standards. Rankings, on the other hand, compare programs based on factors such as cost, flexibility, and outcomes.
Students should use accreditation as a foundational filter and rankings as a comparison tool when evaluating programs.
Students comparing accredited programs can explore structured comparisons across cost, flexibility, and outcomes on OMC’s ranking pages.
How OnlineMastersColleges.com (OMC) Evaluates Accreditation in Rankings
In addition to helping students understand accreditation, it is also important to understand how accreditation is considered when evaluating and comparing programs.
OnlineMastersColleges.com (OMC) prioritizes programs from institutions accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA when evaluating schools for rankings, comparisons, and research guides.
Accreditation is one of the baseline trust and quality factors considered in OMC’s research process. Programs may be excluded from certain rankings or comparisons if institutional accreditation cannot be verified or if sufficient public information about accreditation status is not available.
For some disciplines, OMC may also consider relevant programmatic accreditation as part of the broader evaluation process when that accreditation materially affects educational quality, professional recognition, or student outcomes in the field.
Accreditation alone does not determine a program’s position in OMC rankings, but it plays an important role in establishing whether a program meets the foundational credibility standards expected for inclusion.Additional information about OMC’s research standards and ranking process is available on the Editorial Values and Methodology pages.
Accreditation and Online Master’s Programs
Accreditation matters for online programs just as much as it does for campus-based programs. Students should not assume that a program is credible simply because it is offered by a recognizable brand or marketed heavily online.
When evaluating online master’s programs, students should confirm:
- The university’s institutional accreditation
- Any field-specific programmatic accreditation
- Whether the online version of the program falls under the same accreditation framework
- Whether the program supports their transfer, licensure, or professional goals
Common Mistakes Students Make When Evaluating Accreditation
Assuming all accreditation is the same
Not all accreditation serves the same purpose. Students should distinguish between institutional and programmatic accreditation and understand how each applies to their goals.
Relying only on a school’s marketing language
Students should verify accreditation independently through official institutional and accreditor sources.
Ignoring licensure implications
In some professions, the right specialized accreditation may matter as much as institutional accreditation.
Not checking current status
Accreditation information should be confirmed at the time of application and enrollment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Accreditation
Accreditation is a review process used to evaluate whether a college or program meets recognized academic and institutional standards.
Students can verify accreditation by checking the institution’s website and confirming the accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA.
Yes. Accreditation affects degree recognition, transferability, financial aid eligibility, and, in some cases, licensure requirements.
Institutional accreditation applies to the entire university, while programmatic accreditation applies to specific academic programs or disciplines.
In many cases, employers prefer or require degrees from accredited institutions, particularly in regulated or professional fields.
Yes. Accreditation indicates baseline quality, but students should also evaluate cost, format, outcomes, and career alignment.
Related Resources
Students researching accreditation may also find these pages useful:
Contact for Questions
If you have questions about OMC’s research standards or how accreditation is considered across the Site, you may contact:
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Email: contact@onlinemasterscolleges.com