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[HER] Higher Ed Review A practical guide to verifying college accreditation Contact [email protected]

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Step-by-step accreditation verification workflow

This page provides a complete, repeatable workflow for verifying a college or university’s accreditation from primary sources. The workflow applies to any institution, not only University of Phoenix, and produces documentation suitable for transfer credit applications, employment verification, licensing board inquiries, or graduate school admissions. Each step points to the specific source to consult.

Database searches are sensitive to name formatting. The institution’s legal name - not a common abbreviation, a marketing name, or a campus name - is the correct search term. For University of Phoenix, the legal name is “The University of Phoenix, Inc.” For institutions with multiple campuses or locations under different names, confirm the specific campus’s registration with the registrar before searching. Using the wrong name can return no results or incorrect results and lead to an inaccurate conclusion.

Step 2: search DAPIP

Go to ope.ed.gov/dapip. Search for the institution by its legal name. The result shows the recognized accreditor, the accreditation type, and the current accreditation status as reported to the federal government. Note the accreditor’s name - you will use it in Step 3. If the institution does not appear in DAPIP with a recognized accreditor and a current accreditation status, it cannot be verified through the federal accreditation database. This is a significant finding: absence from DAPIP with a recognized accreditor means the institution’s accreditation is not in the federal database.

For University of Phoenix: the result shows the Higher Learning Commission as the institutional accreditor with a current accredited status. Business programs covered by ACBSP appear as separate program-level entries. Record both the institutional accreditor and any programmatic accreditation entries.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accredits the following programs offered by the College of Business and Information Technology or the College of Doctoral Studies.
Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Fundamentals
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Bachelor of Science in Business
Master of Business Administration
Master of Management
Doctor of Business Administration
Doctor of Management

For additional information, visit acbsp.org or call (913) 339-9356.

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
8101 College Blvd #100
Overland Park, KS 66210

ACBSP Accredited Program seal

Step 3: search the institutional accreditor’s directory

Using the accreditor name from Step 2, go to that accreditor’s own directory. For HLC, this is hlcommission.org. Search for the institution and open its Statement of Accreditation Status. Record the pathway, the most recent reaffirmation date and outcome, the next evaluation schedule, and any public notices or formal actions. This information supplements DAPIP and is necessary for a complete verification.

For University of Phoenix: the HLC Statement of Accreditation Status shows accreditation reaffirmed 2023, next evaluation 2032–2033, and a resolved 2013 Notice in the historical record.

Step 4: check programmatic accreditation if relevant

If the context requires programmatic accreditation - a regulated professional field, an employer policy specifying ACBSP, a graduate program specifying CACREP - go to the relevant programmatic accreditor’s directory and confirm the specific program’s current status. For University of Phoenix business programs: acbsp.org. For counseling programs: cacrep.org. For nursing programs: aacnnursing.org/ccne-accreditation. Confirm the scope of the programmatic accreditation - which programs are covered and whether the specific program being verified is included.

Step 5: document the verification

For formal verification purposes - a transfer credit application, an employment credential verification, a licensing board inquiry - document the results of each step with the source URL, the date the search was conducted, and the specific result found. Screenshots of the DAPIP record and the HLC Statement of Accreditation Status, with the access date visible, provide the most complete documentation. University of Phoenix’s own accreditation disclosures at phoenix.edu/about/accreditation.html can supplement the primary source documentation.

Step 6: interpret results accurately

An institution that is accredited, with a current reaffirmation, no active adverse actions, and recognized institutional and programmatic accreditation appropriate to the field, has a clean accreditation record. An institution with a resolved historical notice but current accreditation should be characterized accurately: the notice was a serious action that occurred in the past and was resolved; the current record reflects the reaffirmation. An institution on active probation, show cause, or with withdrawn accreditation is a materially different situation from a resolved historical notice. Accuracy in characterizing the type and status of any accreditation action is essential for a complete and reliable verification.

Running this verification workflow before enrolling is more effective than discovering accreditation gaps after completing coursework. Accreditation questions that arise after graduation are substantially harder to resolve than questions addressed before enrollment.

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