Education
Why accreditation decides more than reputation
Whether credits transfer, whether a qualification is recognised and whether federal aid can be used at all turn on it.
Accreditation is a published, checkable fact about an institution, not a matter of opinion or marketing. It affects whether credits transfer to another institution, whether employers and licensing boards recognise the award, and in many cases whether federal aid can be used there at all.
It is worth confirming from the accreditor's own list or the Department of Education's database rather than from the institution's own page. An institution may be accredited by a body that is not itself recognised, which is a distinction the marketing will not draw for you.
Programmatic accreditation is separate and matters in fields with licensing — nursing, engineering, counselling, education among them. An institution can be accredited while a specific programme is not, and in a licensed field that gap is the one that ends careers before they start.
If an institution's accreditation is on probation or has been withdrawn, that is public too, and it is a reason to ask hard questions about what happens to students mid-programme.
What to do next. Confirm accreditation in the Department of Education's database, and check programmatic accreditation separately in any licensed field.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.