The purpose of accreditation is to ensure that an institution provides its students with an acceptable level of education. Accreditation mandates that a program's curriculum meets minimum standards of education and prepares students for life beyond the classroom. Students who are looking to enroll in a post-secondary institution need to ensure that the institution is accredited in order to avoid scams.
Instructors at accredited post-secondary institutions meet certain academic standards and are qualified to teach students in a certain subject or area. While the instructors may come from a variety of academic backgrounds and experience, they need to have demonstrated expertise in academic teaching. Many unaccredited institutions offer online programs that don't meet certain standards, and students who are taking an online program through an accredited institution ensure they are receiving quality instruction without even meeting an instructor.
Students who are looking to transfer from an associate degree to bachelor's degree program need to enroll in an accredited institution. If an institution is not accredited, the credits may not transfer from one school to another. Accredited schools need to ensure that students have received a proper education and that they are ready for higher level work on another campus. Attending a non-accredited institution may limit a student's options.
A degree from just any institution may not be enough to prepare graduates for employment and qualify them to complete certain job requirements. For example, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has accredited 3,100 programs in 600 post-secondary institutions, as of the time of publication. This accreditation agency ensures that graduates from these programs have the knowledge and skills to work in an engineering and technology field.