What is Accreditation?

Colleges, universities, and individual programs can be accredited. Accreditation is a voluntary process of external quality review created and used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and programs for quality assurance and quality improvement. In the United States, accreditation is carried out by private, nonprofit organizations designed for this specific purpose. The quality of these organizations have been reviewed by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE). Both federal and state governments consider accreditation to be a reliable authority on academic quality.

(Source: http://www.chea.org/)

DOES ACCREDITATION MATTER?

Yes. Accreditation of colleges and universities in the U.S. was created so that the quality of education being received by students could be reliably evaluated. While accreditation is certainly not the only factor to consider when choosing a college or university, it is a critical starting point to decide whether a school or program of choice is a wise investment of time and money. The accreditation process is not easy, but it's worth it to the college or university to prove the credibility of the school. As mentioned above, many individual programs of study are also accredited by a recognized organization (ie, Nursing, Engineering Technology, Respiratory Care, etc).

What does this mean for the student?

Accreditation ensures students are entitled to basic student support services, such as equal admissions, advising, counseling, orientation, and placement.
Many state licensure agencies and national registries require that a student has graduated from a regionally accredited college and/or program of study.
Transfer of credits may only be permissible if both institutions are accredited by a recognized regional accrediting organization. It is the student's responsibility to verify the mobility of credits from one institution to another.
A graduate's chances of employment may be hampered if their degree was not granted from an accredited institution.

ARE ALL ACCREDITATIONS THE SAME?

Absolutely not. Students must do their homework to ensure the selected college or university is accredited by a legitimate agency. As mentioned above, the most reliable sources for determining accreditation status are the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

There are several categories of accrediting organizations.

Regional Accrediting Organizations
National Faith Related Accrediting Organizations
National Career Related Accrediting Organizations
Programmatic (Specialized) Accrediting Organizations

REGIONAL ACCREDITING ORGANIZATIONS

There are six regional accrediting organizations:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Greenville Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). This organization also accredits colleges and universities in the southeast region such as Clemson University, University of South Carolina, Duke University, University of North Carolina, and College of Charleston.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on accreditation, please contact the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) at www.chea.org. This organization coordinates national, regional and specialized accreditation and represents over 3,000 degree granting institutions.