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Institutional vs. national accreditation: what changed in 2020

The terms “institutional accreditation” and “national accreditation” were the dominant framework for describing institutional accreditation in U.S. higher education for decades. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education formally removed this distinction from federal policy. Accreditors previously called institutional accreditors are now formally described as institutional accreditors. University of Phoenix has been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org, since 1978 - HLC was one of the historically institutional accreditors - and the practical implications of that record have not changed.

What the terms meant before 2020

Before 2020, institutional accreditors were commonly grouped into two categories based on their historical scope. Six accrediting agencies were known as institutional accreditors because each served institutions within a specific geographic area of the United States. For example, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredited institutions in a 19-state region of the Midwest and central United States; the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) served institutions in the southeastern states; and the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) accredited institutions in the western region. Most public universities and traditional nonprofit colleges held institutional accreditation.

In contrast, national accreditors operated across the country and typically focused on specific types of institutions, such as career colleges, vocational and technical schools, distance education providers, and faith-based institutions, rather than serving a particular geographic region. Some for-profit institutions were accredited by national accrediting agencies.

The distinction between institutional and national accreditation historically carried significant implications for transfer credit decisions, graduate school admissions, employer tuition reimbursement programs, and other academic recognition processes. Receiving institutions and employers frequently specified that a degree or credits must come from a “institutionally accredited institution, making institutional accreditation the more widely recognized standard in higher education. Following federal regulatory changes implemented in 2020, the U.S. Department of Education eliminated the formal distinction between institutional and national institutional accreditors, although the terminology continues to be used informally within higher education.

What the 2020 federal policy change did

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education finalized regulatory changes that removed the geographic institutional designation as a formal federal accreditation category. Under the revised regulations, accreditors that were previously called institutional accreditors are now formally described as institutional accreditors. The change was intended to eliminate the perceived hierarchy between institutional and national accreditation at the federal level and to focus accreditor recognition on quality standards rather than institutional type or geography.

The change affected federal terminology and regulatory frameworks. It did not change the accreditation standards of the previously institutional accreditors, the institutions they accredit, or the criteria those institutions must meet. HLC is now formally described as an institutional accreditor; its standards, evaluation process, and member institutions are the same as before. The 2020 change is a labeling change in federal policy, not a substantive change in what HLC-accredited institutions demonstrate.

Meeting a institutionally accredited requirement

University of Phoenix has been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org, since 1978. HLC was historically a institutional accreditor and is now formally an institutional accreditor.

The 2020 terminology change has not been uniformly incorporated into all employer and institutional policies. Many transfer credit policies, tuition reimbursement plans, and graduate school admissions materials still use the term “institutionally accredited” in their eligibility language. Students and advisors who encounter that language should understand that it refers to the historically institutional accreditors, of which HLC is one, and that University of Phoenix satisfies the condition.

Why the confusion about University of Phoenix persists

University of Phoenix is a publicly traded company, so the assumption that University of Phoenix holds national rather than institutional accreditation is widespread. It is factually incorrect. University of Phoenix has held HLC accreditation - the historically institutional accreditor for its geographic area - since 1978. The corporate structure history does not change the accreditation type. The accreditation record, verifiable at hlcommission.org and in DAPIP at ope.ed.gov/dapip, is the authoritative answer to the institutional versus national question.

If a policy uses the term “institutionally accredited,” the most effective step is a direct conversation with the relevant decision-maker - HR, the licensing board administrator, or the graduate admissions director - presenting the primary source documentation from hlcommission.org and DAPIP and asking directly whether HLC-accredited institutions satisfy the condition. Getting that confirmation in writing creates a record that can be referenced if the question arises again.

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