Accreditation Toolkit – Students
This section contains information on U.S. higher education accreditation to assist students, prospective students, parents, counselors and others.
Topics addressed include accreditation and its value, institutions and programs in the United States accredited by recognized accrediting organizations, distance education, transfer of credit and degree mills and the danger they pose.
Informational Videos on Accreditation
- Accreditation and Its Value to You (February 2011)
- Types of Accreditation: What’s the Difference? (February 2011)
- Degree Mills and Accreditation Mills (February 2011)
Institutions and Programs in the United States Accredited by Recognized Accrediting Organizations
Understanding Accreditation
- Ask Before You Decide (October 2010)
- The Value of Accreditation (June 2010)
- “Accrediting Organizations in the United States: How Do They Operate to Assure Quality?” (CHEA Fact Sheet #5, April 2006)
- The Fundamentals of Accreditation: What Do You Need to Know? (September 2002)
- “Twelve Important Questions About External Quality Review” (CHEA Fact Sheet #3, September 2001)
- What Is Accreditation? (February 1998)
Avoiding Degree Mills and Accreditation Mills
- “Important Questions About ‘Diploma Mills’ and ‘Accreditation Mills’ ” (CHEA Fact Sheet #6, May 2003)
- Degree & Accreditation Mills (Video)
Digitization, Technology and Accreditation
- “The Online Revolution: Education for Everyone” (Andrew Ng, 2013 CHEA Annual Conference Presentation)
- “MOOCs and Accreditation: Focus on the Quality of ‘Direct-to-Students’ Education” (Inside Accreditation, November 2012)
- “Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Distance Education” (CHEA Monograph, 2002)
Transfer of Credit
- “CHEA/AACRAO/ACE Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit” (CHEA Advisory Statement, October 2017)
- “A Framework for Meeting Transfer of Credit Responsibilities” (CHEA Fact Sheet #4, May 2002)
Quality, Accreditation and Graduate Education
- “Quality, Accreditation, and Graduate Education: What Does the Future Hold?” (Inside Accreditation by John Wiley, April 2009)