If you have plan to apply to a university or college in U.S. it is very important to know if the school in which you plan to enroll is accredited. Accreditation helps to ensure that the school is of high quality and that you will get the programs and services that the school describes in its promotional materials.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a process of external quality review. Accrediting agencies develop standards of excellence in areas such as faculty, curriculum, administration, and student services. Institutions and programs that meet the standards and that are granted accreditation continue on a path toward ongoing improvement. Through the public recognition that accreditation provides, students, sponsors, employers, and others can identify schools that meet the standards for educational quality. Employers often want to know that an employee graduated from an accredited school. Accreditation is also of importance if you want to transfer your credit from one school to other. The USA Department of Homeland Security uses accreditation to certify schools that can to issue the documents for international students to enter the country on a student visa.
Accreditation in the United States is carried out by private non-governmental organizations. These agencies set standards and establish policies and procedures for accreditation. Accreditation is either given to a Institute or a Program.
So any applicant has to first check the accreditation and then should investigate who has given the accreditation – i.e. accreditation agency.
How to know if the accrediting agencies is reliable?
Accrediting agencies may go through a recognition process in which their standards, policies, and procedures are evaluated. Some agencies choose to apply for recognition by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). If they have done so the information related to them is available at USDE website
http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html?src=qc
Another way for accrediting agencies to get recognition in USA is through the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (which is a private organization). This website maintains a list of agencies that accredit degree granting institutions and programs:
http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp
You can also check if the agency is member of Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).
Accreditation is a very useful way for the students to identify quality schools. The U.S. Department of Education, CHEA, and ASPA websites are useful tools that can lead prospective students to those institutions and programs that have met quality standards through the rigorous accreditation process.