Accreditation

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The two major types of accreditation in the United States are institutional and programmatic. Institutional accreditation given by six regional accrediting associations. The criteria for accreditation are established by the members of each association.

Schools are not required to be accredited to operate as a college or university. But the federal government determines whether students at a particular institution will be granted federal financial assistance by whether the school is accredited. Many institutions offering grants or other forms of financial aid usually require an institutional to be accreditation if it wants to participate in their programs. So,  regional accreditation is essential for any school that wishes to be part of mainstream higher education.

Problematic accreditation is given by accreditation commissions affiliated with certain professions. There are commissions in fields ranging from engineering to law. Each profession's has its own criteria for accreditation.

Finding out if an Institution or Program is Accredited

You can check the current accreditation status of any institution on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)'s page: http://www.chea.org.