Accreditation is a way for schools to collectively set out standards for educational quality. Universities and colleges have banded together over the years to form professional bodies representing a geographic area, an academic discipline or a common philosophy. Those organizations, in turn, evolve a consensus on issues like educational outcomes, curriculum, student-teacher ratios and the success rate of graduating students. Having established a set of standard criteria, they'll apply to a recognized certification body such as the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. These agencies are able to confer accrediting privileges.
Every accrediting agency has its own standards, but the overall process is similar. It begins with a candidate school applying for consideration. The school will receive a self-assessment package, detailing the current standards it must meet and providing tools to evaluate how well it does so. The college reviews its operations accordingly and constructs a plan to address any shortcomings. It sends a formal report and application to the accrediting organization, which responds by sending a peer-review team.
Members of the peer-review team are selected from the organization's member schools. They will carefully review how well the college's operation corresponds to its self-assessment. If the peer reviewers agree that it was accurate, they'll recommend the application go forward. After additional detailed scrutiny, accreditation is granted. Accreditation must be maintained by a regular cycle of review and quality assurance.
Accrediting bodies are also subject to certification. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), just one such organization, grants accreditation privileges to more than 100 professional bodies as of January 2011. Another important certifying agency is the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, or CHEA. In each case, the certifying body provides the accrediting agencies with the same degree of accountability that they provide their member schools.
There are a number of organizations providing accreditation to universities and colleges. Among them are NCA CASI and SACS CASI, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) and Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Additionally, individual programs or schools within a given institution may require accreditation from an organization within its own industry. Examples include the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program, American Medical Technologists, Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties and the National League for Nursing.