Accreditation: everything you need to know

In most countries, university accreditation bodies are government organisations which work with universities or higher education programmes in their country. 

This is different in the US, where organisations are private companies. Many accreditation bodies in the US are international, meaning that they accredit institutions from all over the world, not just nationally. 

In rare cases, countries such as Canada, Singapore and Macau do not have any national accreditation organisations. It is common that universities in these countries will pursue international accreditation to remain competitive to international students. 

Accreditation is something that is pursued by universities. In some countries such as the UK and India, it is a legal requirement for universities to have accreditation if they are claiming to offer undergraduate or graduate degrees. In other countries, accreditation is non-essential but highly regarded. 

When pursuing accreditation, the university will firstly decide what type of accreditation that they wish to apply for. They will also do research into the different accreditation organisations if applicable, making sure that the accreditation will reflect the aims of the institution. They will then need to gather the correct paperwork outlining their university’s policies, procedures and the results that they produce, both in terms of academic results and student success post-graduation. They will need to complete a self-assessment, submit their application and prepare for a site visit that will be completed by a representative of the accreditation governing body. Following this they will be informed whether their application was successful. 

There are many benefits to accreditation, including:

• Students who are researching universities and considering which they might want to apply for can look at accreditation as an assurance of academic quality and a positive experience on campus. 
• For students who are transferring schools and school credits, they are able to do so easily between two schools who have approval from the same accreditation body. It assures the new school that the previous school had a good academic standard and that credits earned by the student thus far are still valid. 
• For students who are applying to schools, accepting a place at an accredited university will give them more funding options. It is often a requirement of applying for student funding that the chosen university or programme is accredited. 
• Accreditation is also important following graduation when a student is looking for a job. A degree from an accredited university will assure employers of the quality of an applicant’s education and will therefore affect employability. 

In the US, there are many accreditation agencies, some of which focus on universities within a certain state and others which operate more widely, nationally and internationally. A list of institutional and programmatic accreditors can be found on the website of the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). 

In other countries, there will be a national accrediting agency such as:

• Albania – Quality Assurance Agency in Higher Education 

• Australia – Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency 

• Bangladesh – Bangladesh Accreditation Council 

• Belgium – Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders 

• France – Ministry of National Education and Conférence des Grandes Écoles 

• Germany – Kultusministerkonferenz 

• Greece – Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency 

• Hong Kong SAR – Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications 

• India – University Grants Commission, National Assessment and Accreditation Council and National Board of Accreditation 

• Ireland – National Framework of Qualifications 

• Italy – Regio Decreto 31 

• Japan – Japan University Accreditation Association, National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education and Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation 

• Kenya – Commission for University Education 

• Malaysia – Lembaga Akreditasi Negara 

• Netherlands – Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders 

• Nigeria – National Universities Commission 

• Pakistan – Higher Education Commission 

• Philippines – Commission on Higher Education 

• Portugal - Agência de Acrediação 

• South Africa – Department of Higher Education and Training and South African Qualifications Authority 

• United Kingdom – Royal Charter and UK Government 

• Zambia – Higher Education Authority