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How to Find U.S. University Accreditation?

I have a very serious question. How to find that particular university’s department is accredited or not? Also in Ph.D. also accreditation is required? And what can be the consequences, if university program is not accredited?

What is Accreditation?

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality.

Accrediting agencies, which are private educational associations of regional or national scope, develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met.

Institutions and/or programs that request an agency’s evaluation and that meet an agency’s criteria are then “accredited” by that agency.

U.S. Regional Accreditation Association

  1. The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
    Includes – Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico.
  2. The New England Association of Schools & Colleges.
    Covers – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont.
  3. The Northwest Association Of Schools And Colleges.
    Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
  4. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
    Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,Texas, Virginia
  5. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
    California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Pacific Basin, and East Asia, and areas of the Pacific and East Asia where American/International schools or college
  6. The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
    Includes colleges in following stats – Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming

National Level Accreditation Database

You can also refer to U.S. National Level Database maintained by Department of Education and Council of Higher Education.

Why Check?

  • If your GRE Score is less than 1000 and if you are applying through US Admission Consultancies, you will be given list of unknown colleges and universities. Use the above links to check if they are accredited.
  • While transferring between universities, this will come into picture. Colleges may not accept the credits from schools that are not accredited.
  • Ofcourse degree have to be recognized by employer to offer you a job.
  • Problems faced by students at Tri Valley University Raid can be avoided.

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8 Comments

  1. hi hsb team
    I HAVE A QUERY PLEASE ANSWER ME
    is accreditation necessary for ms also if the university is accredited then can we go for any program in that university please help

  2. Hi! I have received offer of admission for PhD in health services with full scholarship. The university is accredited by the middle states commission on higher education, but the program is not accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. Will the non-accreditation of the program affect my career prospects adversely?

  3. Is Accreditation essential for MS degree, for someone completed Bachelor outside US, then admitted in a US university?

  4. Hello,

    Sometimes university is accredited but not all programs. Like, If electrical department is accredited then I heard that it is possible, it's bachelor's degree is only accredited not MS or Ph.D. Is it true? Should we consider in that manner?

    Is it necessary that for engineering programs ABET accreditation is required?

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