MN Learning

Understanding the role of accreditation when choosing a university

We were talking about this topic yesterday and I felt it would be a good topic to share with all of you.  Accreditation is something most people don’t often look at when searching for a higher education school, but it is important for many reasons.  Arming yourself with the knowledge of why you should pay attention to accreditation, can help save you time and money.

For starters, accreditation is a voluntary procedure that schools go through, there is nothing that says they have to do it, but it helps them in the long run to sell their services.  The reason being, accreditation is done by an independent review organization that expects the schools to meet a minimum requirement to be accepted.  I have gone through this process myself with two different accreditation organizations.  This process can take as long as two years to go through, which involves such things as reviewers sitting in classes, interviewing students and alumni, and going over the curriculum to ensure it meets their standards of what they consider a quality education.  Once obtained, the accreditation needs to be renewed after a certain number of years, this changes with each accrediting organization.

As a student, accreditation often helps you if you plan to transfer from one school to another.  In most cases, school have been accredited by the same organization, will accept credits from one school to another, without much hassle.  After all, they are suppose to basically have the same thing in terms of materials being taught.

Another important aspect of accreditation is to ensure you are going to a school that is not a degree mill or one that isn’t seen as a good school by employers.  By seeing who else has accreditation, you get a sense of the schools caliber.  Also, most schools have a regional accreditation, so if you plan to go from MN to CA, you may find your credits don’t transfer.  But if you are going from Moorehead to St. Cloud State, you have a good chance of getting your credits transferred. 

If you are looking at a graduate school, many professional fields have a certain accreditation or group of accreditations that are more respected than others.  Generally look at the top programs in your field and find out what organization accredits them and then see how wide spread this is within your chosen field. 

Overall, accreditation is important.  It’s an often overlooked part of the school selection process but one that every student should investigate.  One to check out the school and two, the accreditation organization will give you an idea of what caliber of school you are attending.