Accreditation in the USA

In the United States, the federal government does not regulate colleges and universities directly. The various US states issue licenses to education institutions to run business and issue degrees. But this license varies from state to state and it does not mean that a licensed institute meets certain minimum standards.

The only way to know whether the institute provided quality education is to see whether the institute is accredited or not. To get accreditation from a recognized accrediting agency, an institution must meet and adhere to the standards set by the agency.

You need to take care that the college you plan to attend is properly accredited or you may find that your degree is not valued anywhere.

There are two basic categories of accreditation for degree granting institutions in the United States: institutional and programmatic. The institutional accreditation reviews and accredits the whole institution. Programmatic accreditation or specialized accreditation recognizes specific programs, departments, or schools within an institution. Several different accrediting bodies carry out each of these types of accreditation. Institutional accreditation can be divided into two types: regional accreditation and national accreditation.