Institutional Accreditation
Accreditation is the standard against which
colleges and universities are evaluated for the quality of their
education and operating practices, and CollegeAmerica is proud to
be accredited by the ACCSC (Accrediting Commission of Career
Schools and Colleges). Accreditation agencies continuously evaluate
colleges on their integrity, accountability, continuous
improvement, and open communication, to make sure colleges on their
roster carry on providing a high standard of excellence in
education.
More About Accreditation
Higher education is a highly regulated industry. Postsecondary education is regulated through accreditation, federal requirements under the Higher Education Act of 1965 Title IV, and state regulatory and licensing.
Accreditation is the oldest and least understood part of regulation. Rooted in the Latin credito, "to trust," the term was meant to establish a peerage of trust. Accreditation of educational institutions has two fundamental purposes: quality assurance, and institutional and program self-improvement. It is a process for recognizing the quality of educational institutions and their programs, which instills confidence in the educational community and the schools' constituencies. Institutions are subject to periodic reviews to ensure that a specific level of performance is maintained, that there is evidence of institutional and program self-improvement, and that the institution demonstrates integrity and abides by requirements of the accrediting agency. Colleges and universities rely on accredited status in evaluating transfers of credit and applications for postgraduate study. Customers, which include students, parents, and potential employers, rely on accreditation for assurance of quality of the school and its programs. An accreditation body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education is necessary for students at a college or university to qualify for federal financial assistance.
