3 January 2002, Singapore

Is Your Degree Accredited?

Much has been talked about Salem International University being accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (NCA) of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation of a university is important if you seek to have a public record of your learning that will be widely accepted by employers, professional associations, and other colleges and universities.

A major benefit of earning credits or degrees at regionally accredited colleges is that credits or degrees earned at one regionally accredited university are generally fully accepted in transfer by other regionally accredited colleges. Credits and degrees earned at non-regionally accredited universities are not commonly accepted in transfer by regionally accredited institutions.

In this article, we provide a list of frequently asked questions and their answers on accreditation, the advantages of attending a regional accredited institution, its evaluation process and more.

Q. What is accreditation?
A. Accreditation by the Commission and by other nationally recognized agencies provides assurance to the public, in particular to prospective students, that an institution has been found to meet the agency’s clearly stated requirements and criteria and that there are reasonable grounds for believing that it will continue to meet them.

Q. What is the value of accreditation?
A. Accreditation provides both public certification of acceptable institutional quality as well as an opportunity and incentive for self-improvement in the institutions accredited. The Commission reaches the conclusion that an institution meets its requirements and criteria only after the institution opens itself to outside examination conducted by experienced evaluators familiar with accrediting requirements and with higher education. Moreover, for the accredited institution, the process of accreditation provides an opportunity for critical self-analysis leading to improvement in quality and for consultation and advice from persons from other institutions.

Q. What is the difference between regional accreditation and state licensure?
A. While many states have established regulations that must be met before an institution may operate, in most states such regulations represent a minimum basis for protection of students. State authorization should not be confused with institutional or specialized accreditation. An institution may need state authorization to operate legally, but it may not necessarily be accredited by an institutional or specialized accrediting association. In fact, an institution must have the appropriate authorization by a state to operate before it can seek a status with the Commission.

Q. Why doesn’t the Commission rank colleges?
A. The purpose of accreditation is to provide public assurance of educational quality and Institutional integrity. Various publications have begun institution ranking processes based on such factors as specific numerical details (e.g., size, tuition, and endowment); faculty selectivity; and public opinion. It is important to remember that colleges and universities differ from one another in significant ways, including mission, programs offered, and students served. Therefore, the important issue for each student is whether the college meets the student’s needs. Published rankings may be one source of information, but they should not be the only source.

Q. Why doesn’t the Commission recommend colleges to students?
A. Selection of a college to attend is a decision that must be made individually. There are so many different types of institutions (small, large, single-program, multiple-program, urban, rural, public, private, etc.) that matching the student’s interests and abilities to the characteristics of a college requires detailed information about the student and the institution. Information about colleges may be found in various books and directories (available in many libraries), and students are advised to consult with counselors or advisors in secondary schools. The admissions officers of colleges often are able to provide assistance, although they will have the most knowledge of the institution they represent. Increasingly, useful college information can be found through the Internet. The information available from the Commission is limited to that describing the institution’s status with the Commission.

Q. Does accreditation include distance education courses and programs?
A. Yes. The Commission accredits a number of institutions that offer courses and programs through various methods of distance delivery. Since the Commission accredits institutions rather than individual programs, it does not maintain listings of such programs. The Commission does provide a list of Internet resources on distance education on its web site. In addition, the regional associations have developed “Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs” for those institutions that may offer courses or programs through distance delivery. The best practices are available on the Commission’s web site.

Q. Does accreditation guarantee that credits and degrees can be transferred to another institution?
A. No. Transferability of credits and degrees is a matter determined by the institution receiving the credits. Transferability depends on several factors. Among them are: the institution at which credits or degrees were earned; how well the credits offered for transfer mesh with the curriculum offered by the institution to which the student wishes to transfer; and how well the student did in the courses. Accreditation cannot by itself guarantee transfer of credits; however, many institutions may choose to consider the accredited status of the institution where the credit or degree was earned as one factor in the transfer decision. Some institutions have specific agreements with other institutions guaranteeing transfer of credits. Institutions should be prepared to explain to students, parents, and other constituencies institutional policies regarding transfer as well as the factors in an individual transfer decision.

Students should be skeptical of any institution that makes unqualified assertions that its credits will transfer to all other institutions. Anyone planning to transfer credits should, at the earliest opportunity, consult the receiving institution about the transfer—before taking the courses for transfer, if possible.

Q. Does candidacy assure accreditation?
A. No. The Commission does not grant candidacy to an institution unless it has strong evidence that the institution can achieve accreditation within the candidacy period. However, attainment of candidacy does not automatically assure eventual accreditation. The maximum length of candidacy is four years.

Q. What is the difference between institutional accreditation and program accreditation?
A. Institutional accreditation speaks to the overall quality of the institution without making judgments about specific programs. Institutional accreditation is accreditation of the whole institution, including all programs, sites, and methods of delivery. The accreditation of individual programs, such as those preparing students to practice a profession, is different and is carried out by “specialized” or “program” accrediting bodies that apply specific standards for curriculum and course content.

The Commission does not maintain lists of programs offered by its accredited institutions. Each specialized accrediting body publishes a list of programs it accredits. This information also is shown in the annual directory, Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education, published by the American Council on Education, available in many libraries. The National Center for Education Statistics also provides an online tool, COOL (College Opportunities Online), that contains program and other information about institutions. College catalogs usually note all the program accreditations.

Q. How can a regional agency accredit an educational site outside its regional borders?
A. It has been long-standing practice that institutions are accredited as a total unit, no matter where they operate. The regional associations share a definition of a separately accreditable site; in 2000 they initiated a trial collaborative evaluation process for institutions operating physical instructional sites in more than one region.

Q. Who evaluates the Commission?
A. The Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a national, non-governmental organization that provides recognition of accrediting bodies, as does the United States Department of Education. Prior to the formation of CHEA in 1996, CHEA’s predecessors recognized the Commission: the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA) 1994–1996, and the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) from its formation in 1974 through 1993. Since CORPA granted a five-year term of renewal of recognition to the Commission in 1996, the Commission’s next evaluation will be conducted by CHEA in 2001.

The U.S. Secretary of Education maintains a list of accrediting bodies determined by the Secretary to be “reliable authorities as to the quality of training offered by educational institutions and programs.” The Secretary’s list serves as one of the bases for the federal government’s determination of institutional eligibility for participation in federally funded programs, including student financial aid. To appear on the list, an accrediting body must demonstrate its compliance with a series of criteria established by the Secretary in accordance with the Higher Education Act.

The Secretary reviews the status of accrediting bodies on the list on a regular schedule. The Commission has been listed by the Secretary of Education (or a predecessor officer) since 1952 when the first list was published. Its most recent review was in 1997. The Commission also has a variety of ways to evaluate its own processes:

• participants provide routine evaluation of accreditation processes
• C-Es and institutions evaluate team performance
• institutions and others respond to surveys on the quality of programs and services
• focus groups and task forces address specific issues and challenges
• stakeholders share comments through Commission listening posts

Recognition by CHEA and the U.S. Department of Education provides evaluation of the effectiveness of the Commission’s ongoing program of self-evaluation.

Source: www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org

About the Higher Learning Commision

The Higher Learning Commission is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Association was founded in 1895 as a membership organization for educational institutions. It is committed to developing and maintaining high standards of excellence. The Association is one of six regional institutional accrediting associations in the United States. Through its Commissions it accredits, and thereby grants membership to educational institutions in the nineteen-state North Central region.

The Higher Learning Commission is recognized by the Secretary of Education and the Committee on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA, now continued under the Council on Higher Education Accreditation

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