CHEA: The National Voice of Accreditation

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a nonprofit organization started by college and university presidents in an effort to respond to the U.S Department of Education and the U.S. Congress, as well as to “recognize” institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations in the United States. CHEA “recognition” indicates that an accrediting organization has met rigorous CHEA standards for the promotion of academic quality, institutional improvement, and advancement of student success; demonstration of public accountability for performance and transparency; and sustains an effective accreditation structure and organization.  

It was the efforts of these earlier presidents who insisted that universities should be the primary determinants of quality academic performance. The institutional and program “self-study” processes and the philosophy of academic continuous improvement are the cornerstones of CHEA’s advocacy and recognition. For more than 25 years, CHEA has been the primary advocate for institutions in the accreditation process. Previous years have indicated a growing assertive effort by the federal government to issue more regulations regarding academic quality in higher education, which are often tied to federal funding. CHEA continues to serve on behalf of public, private, two- and four-year degree-granting institutions. Our member institutions benefit from a myriad of CHEA services including:

  • Representation and advocacy for institutions’ autonomy in defining quality through accreditation
  • Recognition of approximately 64 U.S. institutional and programmatic accreditors
  • The CHEA online Database that lists accredited institutions and programs (marketing source for colleges and universities)
  • Non-binding arbitration process (effective January 2023)
  • Access to CHEA Speakers for Institutional Forums
  • No-cost registration to annual Roundtable
  • No-cost CHEA webinars
  • Participation in the CHEA Fellows Program
  • Annual CHEA/CIQG Conference(discounted registration)
  • The CHEA Almanac, a sourcebook of information on external quality review
  • The Federal Update, Accreditation in the News, International QA in the News, and Inside Accreditation (articles, reports, op-eds, and reviews about quality assurance in the United States and around the world)
  • Contact information for House and Senate Committees that influence higher education policy
  • Publication of feature articles from member institutions’ leadership

Please click here to request information about becoming a member of CHEA.

CHEA Membership Benefits (pdf)