Home > Resources > College Prep > Choosing the Right School > Quality Control & College Accreditation

Quality Control & College Accreditation

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

Interested in finding out if your college is accredited?

  • Find out what agency has accredited your university

    This should be fairly easy to do. If the college website has on site search, simply type in "accreditation" and the search should highlight any web pages that contain information on this subject. For websites without an on site search the information can sometimes be found at the bottom of the home page or in an "about us" section. If you cannot find information on a school’s website verifying that they are accredited, call the admissions office and request more information.
  • Check the legitimacy of the accreditation agency used

    If the college does not specify that it has been accredited by a CHEA or U.S. Secretary of Education recognized agency, you will need to dig further. Visit the CHEA.org or Ed.gov and verify that the accrediting agency is listed in either of their databases. Both of these websites offer a free search service so that you can access information about accredited institutions in the U.S. These are the two primary resources.
  • Exercise reasonable caution & common sense

    Particularly if the "accredited" college that you have found sells diplomas or offers students an opportunity to earn an advanced degree based on a short essay about their life experience. If the degree offered seems too easy to obtain, that’s because it is. Degree mills are known for claiming that they are "accredited" universities in an attempt to convince students that the degree they purchase will be recognized by an employer. Employers never intentionally recognize diplomas from degree mills, though they are occasionally fooled by them.

ADVERTISEMENT

Latest College & Financial Aid News

Blacks at Microsoft Scholarship

February 22, 2023

by Zina Kumok

Most major tech companies offer scholarships for prospective or current college students. While some of those are geared toward all students, other scholarships are designed to fix the racial disparity within the tech industry. According to research from 2021, fewer than 10% of STEM employees in the workforce are African-American. The Blacks at Microsoft Scholarship aims to close the gap and encourage more Black students to major in STEM-related fields. [...]

Doodle for Google Scholarship

February 14, 2023

by Zina Kumok

If you’re an artist, you may feel like scholarship opportunities are limited compared to those available to the sports phenoms and math whizzes of the world. It certainly does seem like there are fewer scholarships available for those who can draw, paint and express their emotions visually. Fortunately, Google rewards students who are better with a sketchbook than with a Football or Lacrosse stick. Read on to learn how the Doodle for Google Competition scholarship works, how to enter and how to increase your odds of winning. [...]

Scholarship Deadlines Coming Up in Black History Month

February 8, 2023

by Kevin Ladd

It is Black History Month and scholarship season is in high gear. There are so many great scholarship opportunities in February for Black and African American students, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight several that we feel are exceptional. Ranging in value from $6,000 to up to $60,000, the following opportunities will only be available for between one and three more weeks and then be gone for another year, so don’t miss your chance at these amazing awards. Be sure to keep track of your scholarships as you go; which you have applied for and when their deadlines are and make sure to reach back and let us know if you win one or more of them so we can feature you on Scholarships.com! [...]