Accrediting Agencies
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) strives to advance educational excellence at independent, non-public career colleges, and organizations in the United States and abroad.
The Higher Learning Commission is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The association was founded in 1895 as a membership organization for educational institutions. It is committed to developing and maintaining high standards of excellence.
The Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) was founded to improve continuing education and training standards. In 1998, ACCET became certified under the International Organization for Standardization.
The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) is a nationally recognized accrediting agency of health education institutions and those offering specialized medical laboratory technician and medical assistant education programs.
The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) maintains educational quality in the career schools and colleges it accredits by striving to assure academic excellence and ethical practices. ACCSCT is responsible for assuring that member institutions and their educational programs are capable of preparing students for their chosen careers.
The Council on Occupational Education is committed to assuring quality and integrity in career and workforce development. The national accrediting agency has a membership of approximately 450 candidate and accredited institutions.
The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) was founded in 1926 to promote sound educational standards and ethical business practices within the correspondence field. DETC offers distance learning institutions the most current, relevant and practical services for the 21st century.
The National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS) is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a national agency for the institutional accreditation of postsecondary schools and departments of cosmetology arts and sciences, including specialized schools. It presently accredits approximately 1,000 institutions which serve over 100,000 students.
The Commission on Secondary Schools (CSS) was established in November 1920 to promote the improvement of secondary education and to secure better coordination and understanding between secondary schools and institutions of higher education.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) is the nation's oldest regional accrediting association. Its mission is to establish and maintain high standards for all levels of education, from pre-K to the doctoral level.
The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) is a non-profit organization, accrediting over 9000 schools in 8 categories: Elementary, Middle, Secondary, College Preparatory, Vocational/Adult, Special Purpose, Unit (K-12) and Postsecondary.
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is the recognized regional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award Associate, Baccalaureate, Master's or Doctoral degrees.
The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) evaluates and accredits public and private postsecondary institutions offering one or more educational programs of two academic years in length that grant the Associate degree.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accrediting process involves a dual purpose, continuing the expectation that schools must be worthy of the trust placed in them to provide high-quality learning opportunities. They must also clearly demonstrate that they are about the critical business of continual self-improvement.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges and universities in the United States.
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is the profession's mechanism to help establish high-quality teacher preparation. NCATE's performance-based system of accreditation fosters competent classroom teachers and other educators who work to improve the education of all P-12 students.
