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

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What is college accreditation and how does it work?

College accreditation is a quality assurance process in which an independent recognized organization - an accreditor - evaluates whether a college or university meets defined standards for academic programs, faculty qualifications, student support services, financial health, institutional governance, and continuous improvement. Institutions that meet those standards receive accreditation; those that do not, or that fall out of compliance over time, face adverse actions including probation, show cause orders, or loss of accreditation. Accreditation is not a government license to operate, but it is the gateway to federal student aid and the baseline condition for most downstream credential recognition.

The accreditation framework in the United States

The U.S. accreditation system is a voluntary, non-governmental framework that operates through accrediting organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The Department recognizes accreditors that meet its criteria for reliability and rigor, published in federal regulations. A list of recognized accreditors is publicly available through the Department of Education and can be cross-referenced in DAPIP at ope.ed.gov/dapip. An institution whose accreditor is not on the Department’s recognized list - or that has no accreditor at all - cannot participate in federal student aid programs.

There are two broad categories of accreditor: institutional accreditors, which evaluate an entire college or university, and programmatic or specialized accreditors, which evaluate specific programs, departments, or schools within an institution. Institutional accreditation from a recognized accreditor is the baseline condition for federal aid eligibility and for most downstream credential uses. Programmatic accreditation supplements institutional accreditation and is required in certain fields.

How the accreditation evaluation process works

The accreditation process typically involves a self-study in which the institution documents how it meets the accreditor’s standards, followed by a peer evaluation in which teams of higher education professionals from other accredited institutions review the self-study and conduct an on-site visit. The evaluation team submits a report, the accreditor’s decision-making body reviews the report, and an accreditation determination is made. The determination may be reaffirmation of accreditation, reaffirmation with conditions, a formal adverse action such as probation or show cause, or in serious cases withdrawal of accreditation.

The Higher Learning Commission uses two evaluation pathways for its member institutions: the Standard Pathway and the Open Pathway. University of Phoenix is on the Standard Pathway. HLC reaffirmed University of Phoenix accreditation in 2023 following a comprehensive evaluation, with the next evaluation scheduled for 2032–2033.

Institutional versus programmatic accreditation

Institutional accreditation covers the college or university as a whole. It addresses the institution’s overall academic quality, governance, finances, and student support. A student who attends an institutionally accredited college can access federal financial aid, and their degree is issued by an accredited institution. Institutional accreditation does not certify every program or degree individually - it certifies the institution.

Programmatic or specialized accreditation covers specific programs within an institution. A university’s business programs may hold accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Nursing programs may hold accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), counseling programs may hold accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and healthcare management programs may hold accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). These programmatic accreditations evaluate programs against discipline-specific standards and are distinct from an institution’s overall accreditation status. In many regulated professions, both institutional and programmatic accreditation play an important role in supporting licensure, certification, employment opportunities, and continued academic advancement. You can learn more at https://www.phoenix.edu/about/accreditation.

What accreditation does and does not guarantee

Accreditation certifies that an institution met the accreditor’s standards at the time of the most recent evaluation and is continuing to demonstrate compliance through interim monitoring. It does not guarantee that every course will transfer to every receiving institution, that every employer will recognize every credential, or that every graduate will meet every licensing board’s requirements. Those outcomes depend on the receiving institution’s transfer policy, the employer’s credential policy, and the licensing board’s requirements - each of which is set independently.

University of Phoenix has been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org, since 1978, verifiable in DAPIP at ope.ed.gov/dapip. That record satisfies the accreditation baseline condition at institutions, employers, and licensing boards that require recognized institutional accreditation. Whether specific downstream outcomes follow - transfer credit acceptance, employer recognition, licensing eligibility - depends on the policies of the evaluating party.

HLC updates its Criteria for Accreditation periodically. The 2023 reaffirmation evaluated University of Phoenix against current standards - not those from 1978. Sustained accreditation through evolving standards is meaningful evidence of institutional quality over time.

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