What is the difference between nationally and regionally accredited schools?

Answer

It boils down to this: national accreditation is nice to have; regional accreditation is a must-have.

The minimum standard you want in any university or college you look at is regional accreditation. If a school is regionally accredited, that means that most employers will recoginize their degrees as genuine, their credits will be eligible to transfer to other schools, and you can be eligible to go on for more advanced degrees (like going on for a bachelors after an associates, or going on for a masters after your bachelors.) If a school is not regionally accredited, it's possible you could have difficulty with all of that.

With that said, there are schools that are regionally accredited which have great reps, and schools which are regionally accredited which have bad reps. But at least you know that the degree is genuine, and that's important.

This article is a good one, and explains all this quite well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_accreditation

Answer

Regional vs National Accreditation

First, both regional and national accreditation agencies are on a volunteer bases, for those schools who wish to participate. The regional agencies started with the traditional schools, colleges and universities, while the national accreditation agencies started with most any institution who wished to participate, some of which were not educational institutions at all. In either case, participating schools go under an exhausting evaluation by the agency to ensure a standard of quality education.

The first difference is their geographical areas of responsibility. Regional accreditation agencies cover a particular area within the United States. For example, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools covers educational institutions in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges covers educational institutions in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). The nation accreditation agencies cover most any institution who wishes to participate whether they are from within the United States or around the globe.

While I have not participated in either of these agencies myself, it is my understanding that the regional accreditation is more stringent in its evaluation of educational standards as compared to the national accreditation standards. Most traditional colleges and universities across the nation hold a regional accreditation which is viewed as the more critical accreditation for a school to have.

Here should be your major concern. Most every college I know of will not accept credit transfer from any institution that does not have a regional accreditation including the college and the university I teach at.

I would strongly recommend when choosing a college or university, you choose institutions that have a regional accreditation. In this way you can be assured that the course work and degree you complete will be recognized by all other colleges and universities, as well as employers.

I have listed the regional accreditation agencies below.

Regional Accreditation Agencies

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as schools for American children in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges - Educational institutions in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).

• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming..

• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities - Postsecondary institutions (colleges and universities) in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges - Educational institutions in California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia, Palau, and Northern Marianas Islands.

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.

Answer

There is no fundamental difference between the two forms of accreditations. Both are conducted by non-profit associations established by consent of a group of institutions. Both accreditations are based on the principle of voluntary application by an institution, both are institution-wide in scope, and both use peer reviews to judge whether an institution meets published standards of academic quality and institutional integrity.

DETC enjoys the precisely same national recognitions as the regional bodies do, and DETC has the same kind of accreditation standards which address curriculum quality, faculty qualifications, student services, and ethical and business practices.

There are some interesting differences: DETC is expert in distance learning technique and specializes in accrediting distance education instruction. It has over a half century of experience in doing this. DETC evaluates institutions completely every five years, while regional accreditation is conducted once each decade. Between five-year reviews, DETC does a comprehensive subject specialist curriculum evaluation of every new program before students may enroll, while the regional associations do not.

But at the core, the accreditations are very similar, and both are virtually identical in philosophy and scope of activity. To term one more acceptable or better than another is not at all accurate.

Will the credits a student receives from a DETC-accredited institution be accepted by a traditional college or university? What dictates this?

There is never any guarantee any accrediting association can offer that a student's credits will transfer to another institution. This is because each institution reserves the right to make its own decisions on which credits to accept and which to refuse. Sometimes, a regionally accredited college will reject DETC institution credits based on the fact that the institution where the credits were earned is not regionally accredited.

The fact that some regionally accredited colleges refuse to accept credits from another school solely because it is not regionally accredited flies directly in the face of national policies advocated by American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), et al. The real issue here has less to do with the academic quality of the sending institution, and more to do with anti-competitive business practices of the receiving institution. Competition is heating up in higher education, and there are forces at work to control the inroads being made by "upstart" operators. Congress, the Department of Education, and the Department of Justice have been looking into this anti-competitive practice by higher education, and we suspect we will see significant activity in the coming months on this matter.

I know first-hand the quality and the rigor of the academic degree programs of the DETC institutions. Each DETC institution program is evaluated by several professors who teach at regionally accredited institutions. These professors are asked to respond to over 200 questions about the programs they are evaluating. There is no question that at the end of this process, the DETC program is comparable to the quality and rigor of a similar program offered by a RA college.

So, when you look at the reasons provided by a college for rejecting DETC credits, "That it is not offered by a regionally accredited institution," the reasons boil down to prejudice, ignorance or anti-competitiveness. Or better put, it is the result that the receiving institution person simply does not accept DETC accreditation as being legitimate, despite what the Secretary of Education or CHEA has decided.

The challenge DETC graduates face in transferring credits is to convince the receiving institution that their academic work is truly legitimate. I am happy to say that of the DETC graduates who try to transfer their credits, about 70 percent are successful today. This percentage will continue to increase as the hundreds of thousands of DETC institution alumni are able to convince skeptics that DETC accreditation is a "real" accreditation, and that people can place their faith in it.

More details read an excellent article by Accreditation Guru by Michael Lambert posted on this website; http://www.military-advanced-education.com/article.cfm?DocID=2040

There are two types of accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education: regional accreditation and national accreditation.

Regional accreditation generally applies to what most people consider a "traditional college or university." UCLA, Ohio State, Harvard, and University of Phoenix are all regionally accredited institutions. Historically, these institutions prepared an individual for an advanced degree. In order to do graduate work at many of these institutions, you must have obtained a bachelor degree from another regionally accredited institution. There are six regional accreditation bodies:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
• Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges

National accreditation generally applies to what most people consider a "vocational college or institution." ITT Tech, Bryman College, and The Art Institute are examples of nationally accredited institutions. National accreditation agencies focus on a specific field of study, for example, Art and Design, Business, or Physical Therapy. Historically, national accreditation agencies review institutions that have a career-focused curriculum.

Click here for a list of national accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Answer

There is no fundamental difference between the two forms of accreditations. Both are conducted by non-profit associations established by consent of a group of institutions. Both accreditations are based on the principle of voluntary application by an institution, both are institution-wide in scope, and both use peer reviews to judge whether an institution meets published standards of academic quality and institutional integrity.

DETC enjoys the precisely same national recognitions as the regional bodies do, and DETC has the same kind of accreditation standards which address curriculum quality, faculty qualifications, student services, and ethical and business practices.

There are some interesting differences: DETC is expert in distance learning technique and specializes in accrediting distance education instruction. It has over a half century of experience in doing this. DETC evaluates institutions completely every five years, while regional accreditation is conducted once each decade. Between five-year reviews, DETC does a comprehensive subject specialist curriculum evaluation of every new program before students may enroll, while the regional associations do not.

But at the core, the accreditations are very similar, and both are virtually identical in philosophy and scope of activity. To term one more acceptable or better than another is not at all accurate.

Will the credits a student receives from a DETC-accredited institution be accepted by a traditional college or university? What dictates this?

There is never any guarantee any accrediting association can offer that a student's credits will transfer to another institution. This is because each institution reserves the right to make its own decisions on which credits to accept and which to refuse. Sometimes, a regionally accredited college will reject DETC institution credits based on the fact that the institution where the credits were earned is not regionally accredited.

The fact that some regionally accredited colleges refuse to accept credits from another school solely because it is not regionally accredited flies directly in the face of national policies advocated by American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), et al. The real issue here has less to do with the academic quality of the sending institution, and more to do with anti-competitive business practices of the receiving institution. Competition is heating up in higher education, and there are forces at work to control the inroads being made by "upstart" operators. Congress, the Department of Education, and the Department of Justice have been looking into this anti-competitive practice by higher education, and we suspect we will see significant activity in the coming months on this matter.

I know first-hand the quality and the rigor of the academic degree programs of the DETC institutions. Each DETC institution program is evaluated by several professors who teach at regionally accredited institutions. These professors are asked to respond to over 200 questions about the programs they are evaluating. There is no question that at the end of this process, the DETC program is comparable to the quality and rigor of a similar program offered by a RA college.

So, when you look at the reasons provided by a college for rejecting DETC credits, "That it is not offered by a regionally accredited institution," the reasons boil down to prejudice, ignorance or anti-competitiveness. Or better put, it is the result that the receiving institution person simply does not accept DETC accreditation as being legitimate, despite what the Secretary of Education or CHEA has decided.

The challenge DETC graduates face in transferring credits is to convince the receiving institution that their academic work is truly legitimate. I am happy to say that of the DETC graduates who try to transfer their credits, about 70 percent are successful today. This percentage will continue to increase as the hundreds of thousands of DETC institution alumni are able to convince skeptics that DETC accreditation is a "real" accreditation, and that people can place their faith in it.

More details read an excellent article by Accreditation Guru by Michael Lambert posted on this website; http://www.military-advanced-education.com/article.cfm?DocID=2040

Lastly, Congress doesn't believe one is better than the other. See HEAAmendment2007 that congress passed prohibiting regional accredited schools from this form of discrimination.

Without going into the actually history of the two accrediting agencies, there are a few issues that should concern individuals when choosing between regionally and nationally accredited colleges and universities.

For one, the regional accreditation standards are higher than that of the national accreditation agency. Thus, the regional accreditation is preferred by colleges and universities who wish to be recognized as institutions that possess excellence within higher education.

Second is the issue of transferability of credits. Nationally accredited institutions typically accept credits from regionally accredited colleges and universities, where regionally accredited colleges and universities will not accept credits from nationally accredited institution. This means if you have a coursework and/or a degree from a nationally accredited institution, it would be like starting all over again should you decide to transfer to a regionally accredited school (which most all recognized colleges and universities are). This should also be a great concern should you plan on pursuing advance degrees (master's, doctorate) at a later date. The degree from a nationally accredited school would not be recognized.

Third, employers who are aware of the difference in regional and national accreditations may not recognize your education that was completed at a nationally accredited institution.

Personal Opinion

When choosing a college or university, make sure the institution has a regional accreditation. With a regional accreditation you can be assured the coursework and degree you complete will be recognized by all other colleges and universities as well as employers. Below I have listed the six accrediting agencies and their geographical areas of responsibility. I am disclosing the below so you do not become a victim of educational scams, and institutions that are nothing more than diploma mills, where they are eager to take your money for a degree that is worthless. Make sure the institution is accredited by one of following responsible agencies.

Regional Accreditation Agencies

· Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as schools for American children in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

· New England Association of Schools and Colleges - Educational institutions in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).

· North Central Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

· Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities - Postsecondary institutions (colleges and universities) in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

· Western Association of Schools and Colleges - Educational institutions in California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia, Palau, and Northern Marianas Islands.

· Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Educational institutions in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.

Answer

Nothing, Regionally accrediated schools will try and say they are better, but there is no actual difference in the quality of the education. It still will depend on the quality of the institution and thier instructors, the student support system before, during, and after the student graduates. It comes down to simply a state of bias without any substantial proof or reason.

National (DETC) vs. Regional

There is no fundamental difference between the two forms of accreditations. Both are conducted by non-profit associations established by consent of a group of institutions. Both accreditations are based on the principle of voluntary application by an institution, both are institution-wide in scope, and both use peer reviews to judge whether an institution meets published standards of academic quality and institutional integrity.

DETC enjoys the precisely same national recognitions as the regional bodies do, and DETC has the same kind of accreditation standards which address curriculum quality, faculty qualifications, student services, and ethical and business practices.

There are some interesting differences: DETC is expert in distance learning technique and specializes in accrediting distance education instruction. It has over a half century of experience in doing this. DETC evaluates institutions completely every five years, while regional accreditation is conducted once each decade. Between five-year reviews, DETC does a comprehensive subject specialist curriculum evaluation of every new program before students may enroll, while the regional associations do not.

But at the core, the accreditations are very similar, and both are virtually identical in philosophy and scope of activity. To term one more acceptable or better than another is not at all accurate.

More details read an excellent article by Accreditation Guru by Michael Lambert posted on this website; http://www.military-advanced-education.com/article.cfm?DocID=2040

First answer by RoaringMice. Last edit by Viper1usmc. Contributor trust: 1780 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 361 [recommend question]