You’ve heard the phrase before—accredited university—but what does it mean? Well, for starters, an accredited university meets the standards of a federally recognized accrediting agency. These agencies help ensure that the schools stay on track: competitive curriculum, course requirements, and the academic credentials of instructors within the institution are reviewed during the accreditation process. This form of quality control ensures that institutions for post-secondary education in the U.S. consistently enforce rigorous academic standards and produce qualified graduates.
During your college search, you will probably come across a handful of institutions that are not accredited. This typically means one of two things: the university chose to remain non-accredited, or that the institution didn’t meet the standards of the accrediting agency—either way, not the best sign. Legitimate, high-quality, and non-accredited universities do exist, but they are few and far between.
As degree mills (virtual, non-accredited universities) increase in number, accreditation becomes more important—especially for students choosing a distance learning program. Make sure that the education you have paid for will count; find out if college you are planning to attend has been accredited by an agency approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
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