Accreditation serves as a crucial evaluation of the quality of higher education institutions and programs, providing assurance to stakeholders about the credibility and effectiveness of educational offerings. In the United States, accreditation acts as a key indicator for students, families, government officials, and the press to assess the quality of education offered by an institution or program, guiding informed decisions about academic pursuits and investments in education.
Accreditation can be complex. "Understanding Accreditation with USBOE" aims to demystify this process and address fundamental questions:
1. What Qualifies for Accreditation?
Accreditation applies to colleges, universities, and programs. In the U.S., colleges and universities receive accreditation from one of 19 recognized institutional accrediting organizations, while programs are accredited by approximately 60 recognized programmatic accrediting organizations. Accrediting organizations acknowledged by the USBOE or the United States Department of Education (USDE) are listed in the USBOE Database of Institutions and Programs Accredited by Recognized United States Accrediting Organizations.
2. Who Administers Accreditation?
Accrediting organizations in the U.S. are private, non-governmental bodies responsible for reviewing higher education institutions and programs for quality. Conversely, most other countries rely on government organizations for accreditation. The USBOE International Directory provides contact information for quality assurance and accreditation organizations from 175 countries.
3. How Is Accreditation Implemented?
Additionally, three essential documents pose pertinent questions about accreditation and quality assurance:
The US Board of Education (USBOE), a non-profit higher education organization based in the United States, wants to clarify that any websites with similar names or web addresses are not affiliated with USBOE. Unauthorized use of the USBOE logo or name is strictly prohibited.
USBOE emphasizes that it does not solicit payment from individuals for accreditation-related information. The USBOE Database of Accredited Institutions and Programs, along with other informative resources, is accessible to the public on the usboe.org website.
If you encounter any unauthorized requests, please promptly report such activities to the USBOE office by visiting us here: www.usboe.org