ABC / How do I determine if a school is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education?

The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit colleges, universities or other postsecondary institutions. Accreditation in the U.S. is done by "accrediting agencies" -- private regional or national associations that have adopted criteria reflecting the qualities of a sound educational program and have developed procedures for evaluating institutions or programs to determine whether or not they are operating at basic levels of quality. Below is additional information about accreditation:

Accreditation in the United States provides more information on accreditation and the list of recognized accrediting agencies.

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The U.S. Department of Education now has a website that provides access to a master list of accredited colleges, universities, and career and trade schools. The database lists approximately 6,900 postsecondary educational institutions and programs, each of which is accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a “reliable authority as to the quality of postsecondary education."
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The U.S. Department of Education recommends that the database be used as one source of qualitative information and that additional sources of qualitative information be consulted.
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The fact that a college or postsecondary institution is accredited does not guarantee that credits or degrees earned at that institution will transfer to another institution or be recognized by a potential employer. Acceptance of students or graduates is always the prerogative of the receiving institution or employer.
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To determine if a school or program is going to meet your needs, in addition to checking the accreditation status, contact any institutions to which you might be interested in transferring, prospective employers and, if possible, visit the school.
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The Federal Trade Commission has also released a publication for hiring managers and human resources professionals, Avoid Fake-Degree Burns by Researching Academic Credentials . This resource provides information on the Department of Education's accreditation database and other tools to help assess academic credentials. It also identifies red flags that indicate a job applicant's claimed academic credentials could be bogus.


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