Accreditation Agencies
Today, the U.S. Department of Education recognizes 19 institutional accrediting organizations and approximately 60 programmatic accrediting organizations. These non-governmental, private institutions undergo periodic reviews, sometimes by the Department of Education, to ensure they're doing their jobs properly.

What Schools are Accredited?
Both the CHEA and U.S. Department of Education have searchable databases online that list accredited schools and programs.

• More than 7,000 institutions are accredited
• 62 percent of accredited schools grant at the minimum, associate's degrees
• 37 percent of these schools don't grant degrees, but may be vocational programs
• More than half the schools (54 percent) are non-profit institutions (the rest are for-profit)

With the avalanche of online learning programs over the past decade, the challenge is to provide a meaningful accreditation for them as well. Of the new programs, some were added by existing schools and some were created from scratch. Accreditation agencies often have independent standards for distance learning. If you're going to spend your money on education, whether online or on campus, maximize that investment by making sure the school is accredited.

More Information about Accreditation: What Does Accreditation Mean for You? Avoiding Diploma Mills The History of Accreditation Accrediting Bodies Recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education

Sources
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
U.S. Department of Education

About the Author
Debbie Kaplan earned her bachelor's degree from an accredited university. She now writes on a variety of topics for online and print publications.