Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member institutions. It was first undertaken in the late 19th century by cooperating educational institutions, on a regional basis.
The federal government began to play a limited role in higher education accreditation in 1952 with reauthorization of the G.I. Bill for veterans of the Korean War. The original GI Bill legislation had stimulated establishment of new colleges and universities to accommodate the influx of new students, but some of these new institutions were of dubious quality. The 1952 legislation designated the existing peer review process as the basis for measuring institutional quality; GI Bill eligibility was limited to students enrolled at accredited institutions included on a list of federally recognized accredited institutions published by the U.S. Commissioner of Education.
The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (a non-governmental organization) both recognize reputable accrediting bodies for institutions of higher education and provide guidelines as well as resources and relevant data regarding these accreditors. Neither the U.S. Department of Education nor CHEA accredit individual institutions.U.S. Department of Education, Accreditation in the United States With the creation of the U.S. Department of Education and under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the U.S. secretary of education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the secretary has determined to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit.College Review Journal, Complete List of National Accrediting Agencies .
Overview Institutional accreditation applies to the entire institution, specific programs, and distance education within an institution.U.S. Department of Education, Accreditation in the United States Regional and national accreditation The higher education institutions holding regional accreditation were primarily non-profit institutions, with significant exceptions, as the largest US for-profit universities (e.g., University of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University) achieved regional accreditation.Judith S. Eaton, Accreditation and Recognition in the United States , CHEA, 2008.
Regionally accredited schools were usually academically oriented and most were non-profit. Nationally accredited schools, a large number of which are for-profit, typically offered specific vocational, career, or technical programs. Regionally accredited institutions employed large numbers of full-time faculty, and the faculty set the academic policies. Regionally-accredited schools were required to have adequate library facilities. Except for some specific subject areas such as nursing, nationally accredited schools did not hire many full-time faculty, usually hiring faculty by the course, without benefits and with no influence on the school's academic policies, which were determined by non-academic administrators, and ultimately investors. Their library facilities, if they existed at all, were far inferior to those of regionally-accredited schools. While there were some legitimate and well-intentioned nationally accredited schools, similar to for-profit institutions with regional accreditation, some institutions existed with little educational rigor. Some critics considered national accreditation to be not as reputable as regional accreditation. Schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, a national accreditor, were occasionally sued for leading prospective students to believe, incorrectly, that they would have no problem transferring their credits to a regionally accredited school.
History Historically, educational accreditation activities in the United States were overseen by seven regional accrediting agencies established in the late 19th and early 20th century to foster articulation between secondary schools and higher education institutions, particularly evaluation of prospective students by colleges and universities.Fred F. Harcleroad and Judith S. Eaton (2005), "The Hidden Hand: External Constituencies and their Impact," Chapter 9 in Philip G. Altbach, Robert Oliver Berdahl, and Patricia J. Gumport, editors, American higher education in the twenty-first century: social, political, and economic challenges. Page 263. JHU Press. , .History of the North Central Association These seven agencies were membership organizations of educational institutions within their geographic regions. Initially, the main focus of the organizations was to accredit secondary schools and to establish uniform college entrance requirements. Accreditation of colleges and universities followed later, with each of the accrediting agencies splitting into separate organizations with one or more of those organizations focused exclusively on accrediting colleges and universities.
Prior to 2020, there were regional and national accrediting agencies, both of which were accountable to the Department of Education. Regional bodies historically accredited institutions in a particular region of the country. National bodies were established to accredit institutions across the country, and sometimes beyond it. Within American higher education, regional bodies were considered more prestigious. The regional bodies were older, and included the most well established institutions.
In February 2020, the Department of Education eliminated the distinction between regional and national accrediting agencies, creating one unified set of institutional accreditors.2020 February USDoEd Final Accreditation and State Authorization Regulations The department claimed that the change was intended to encourage cooperation between accredited schools to improve student experiences, uphold quality standards, and reduce the cost of higher education by encouraging transparent transfer of credits and mutual recognition of degrees between schools with common standards. It also claimed that the change was intended to allow students to be able to access the best school for their needs no matter what region they reside in.Judith Eaton, CHEA President Expresses Pros and Cons for Regionals going National https://www.chea.org/will-regional-accreditation-go-national-0
Four months after this change was made, the WASC Senior College and University Commission became the first accreditor to formally change its membership rules and requirements to allow institutions outside its historical geographic region to apply for membership and accreditation.
In the early 2020s, conservative state legislators and governors in several states moved beyond criticizing institutional accreditors to begin passing legislation attacking accreditors' independence and authority. In 2022, after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges questioned the candidacy of Richard Corcoran as he campaigned to become president of Florida State University, the state passed a law requiring every public college and university to change institutional accreditors every time their accreditation is due to be renewed. The following year, North Carolina passed a similar law. In subsequent years, SACSCOC also posed questions as several states began to pass laws and create policies and practices dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work at colleges and universities.
In June 2025, Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced that six public university system in southern states—the State University System of Florida, Texas A&M University System, University System of Georgia, University of North Carolina System, University of South Carolina System, and University of Tennessee System—were collaborating to form a new institutional accreditor, the Commission for Public Higher Education.
Recognized institutional accreditors The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the following organizations as institutional accreditors: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training American Bar Association American Board of Funeral Service Education
American Osteopathic Association American Podiatric Medical Association Association for Biblical Higher Education Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools Association of Institutions of Jewish Studies Association of Theological Schools Commission on English Language Program Accreditation Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs Council on Chiropractic Education Distance Education Accrediting Commission Higher Learning Commission Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology Middle States Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Midwifery Education Accreditation Council Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences National Association of Schools of Art and Design National Association of Schools of Dance National Association of Schools of Music National Association of Schools of Theatre New England Commission of Higher Education New York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of Education Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools WASC Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges WASC Senior College and University Commission
Formerly recognized accreditors Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools American Academy for Liberal Education
Programmatic accreditation These accreditors typically cover a specific program of professional education or training, but in some cases they cover the whole institution. Best practices are shared and developed through affiliation with the Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors. Both the US Department of Education and CHEA maintain lists of recognized US programmatic accreditors: