The main accreditation entities sanctioned by the Dept. of Education are regional and national. National accredited schools are typically vocational colleges or institutions, and their programs are accredited individually. Credits or degrees from a national accredited school usually do not transfer to a regional accredited institution.
Colleges accredited by a regional agency are traditional colleges that award bachelor's and advanced degrees such as Harvard, MIT, and Kent State, and most credits are transferable to both national and regional accredited schools.
There are six regional accreditation agencies that operate in geographic regions of the United States. These agencies and their areas of governance are:
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools - Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges - New England region including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools - Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges - Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina , Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges - California, Hawaii, and the Pacific U.S. territories.
The U.S. Department of Education lists the following procedure for accrediting a school:
Establishment of academic standards.
Self-evaluation of the school that measures performance against established colleges' standards.
On-site evaluation of the school by a team from the accrediting agency.
Publication of the school's accreditation.
Continual monitoring and reevaluation of the school's standards.
Accrediting criteria is established by the region's agency and varies with each region.
An accrediting agency determines eligibility for accreditation by assessing the school's academic programs, teacher qualifications, admissions procedures and policies, school administration, school finances, scholastic performance, financial aid practices and student resources such as the library. The agency looks in depth at these factors to make sure the college is providing students with a quality education.
An accredited college or school is listed in the U.S. Department of Education's
Database of Accredited Programs and Institutions, and a school's official brochures and literature lists their accreditation. In addition, most college web sites display an Accreditation and Licensing link that lists their accrediting agency or organization, as well as state licensing and authorizations. If the link is not visible, type "accreditation" into the school web site's search box. Search results should provide a link to the accreditation information.
Failure to find the school in the database or an accreditation statement on the school's web site is a warning that the school is not accredited by an agency of the Dept. of Education or a professional accrediting group.