Educational Accreditation

Educational accreditation is a process through which a third-party agency judges an educational institution to determine whether it conforms to certain defined quality and service standards. Institutions can seek accreditation from governmental or private crediting bodies, depending on the laws of the land. Education accreditation can be categorized into:

• Accreditation of an institution: Whole institution is accredited by the agency
• Accreditation of a specific discipline/course: Only a specific program in an institution is accredited
• Accreditation of both the institution and the specific program: Both the education program and the institute is accredited

Accreditation is not a way to rank an institution. Rather, it is a process that validates the integrity of an educational institution. It is an indication that the institution or program meets certain standards of excellence. Accrediting agencies require that institutions engage in constant self-assessment in order to keep their programs up to date.

Accreditation meaning

• For Students: Accreditation increases the popularity of an institution as a destination for students. Higher education in most countries across the world is steeply priced. Accreditation insures students against being cheated and guarantees value for money
• For Educational Institutions: Accreditation offers the most direct advantage to the institution by building a brand value for it, as a preferred organization to be associated with
• For the Discipline: Accreditation helps popularize a discipline among prospective students. It is especially beneficial for new and upcoming disciplines, useful to industries that face a shortage of skilled manpower.
• For Employers: Accredited institutions and disciplines provide national and international employers a good idea of the skill levels of a prospective employee even before any actual assignment is done at the workplace. Accreditation provides an assurance to employers that program graduates are competent for entry into the workplace.
• For Business: Recognition by international accrediting bodies opens up borders and facilitates free movement of skilled labor across countries.
• For Nations: National and International accreditation, based on stringent quality parameters, potentially builds the image of a nation as a destination for students seeking higher education, and boosts educational tourism.