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The Benefits of Accreditation

Accreditation ensures a basic level of quality in the education you receive from an institution.
Following is a complete rundown of the benefits of accreditation.   

• Quality education

As you now know, accreditation is the tool used around the world, to monitor, assess, and evaluate the standards and quality of the education a student receives at a college, university, or other institution of higher learning. Because of the process of accreditation, new students, returning students, and families of students can trust that the education they are paying for is valuable and worth their time, money, and effort.

Accreditation status indicates that a college, university, institution, or program meets the standards of quality set by the accreditation organization, in terms of faculty, curriculum, administration, libraries, financial well-being, and student services.

While a student who attends an accredited college, university, or other institution of higher learning can be assured that he or she will receive a quality education, students should remember that a college or university's accreditation does not automatically guarantee a student's academic success. It is, of course, up to the individual student to make the most of the education he or she receives But if a larger than average number of students attending a college or university are not successful and do not demonstrate a high level of educational performance, an accreditation organization may need to step in to examine the effectiveness of the institution and evaluate what aspects of the institution need to be improved.

In addition to the promise of overall quality educational opportunities, an institution's accreditation status provides students with many other benefits.

• Credit transfer

At some point in their education, many students wish to transfer to a new college or university. Most often, these students wish to transfer the course credits they have already accumulated to the new college or university so that they will not have to repeat similar courses, spending time and money unnecessarily. Accreditation is an important factor when a college or university is deciding whether to accept transfer credit from a student's previous school. Most colleges and universities will not accept transferred course credits from an institution that has not earned appropriate accreditation status from an accreditation organization.

• Success in the workplace

Most employers prefer to hire job applicants who have gained their education from a college or university with the appropriate accreditation status. Many employers also make sure that their employees have been educated at an appropriately accredited institution when making decisions about business promotions, company advancements, and whether to provide tuition coverage or assistance for employees who wish or need to further their education. It is also common for states to require that a college, university, or program be accredited when allowing students to acquire professional licensure.