CEAC is a faith based accrediting agency serving private theological institutions such as Bible colleges, theological institutes, seminaries and universities as well as online and distant learning institution.
What Are the National Accrediting Agencies?
Accrediting agencies are private, non-governmental bodies that are in charge of assessing post-education institutions and programs.
These are in turn assessed, regulated, and deemed recognizable by the US Department of Higher Education and must pass a process of appeal to be officially recognized.
Every few years accreditors are reviewed and they either keep their recognized status or have it revoked. If your accrediting agency loses its status, so do you and you will have to begin the process all over again.
For more information about the role of the US Department of Higher Education’s role in the process read one of our previous posts here.
What Is National Accreditation?
National accrediting agencies are known as this because they can offer accreditation throughout the entire US, whereas Regional accrediting agencies are limited to a geographic region. These agencies are acknowledged by both The Council for Higher Education Acceleration (CHEA) or the US Department of Education (DOE).
Although regional accreditation has a reputation as being more prestigious, this is simply not true and if your budget allows for it, we recommended applying for both.
There are further three classifications that national accrediting agencies fall under:
1. Distance Education Accrediting Commission
The DEAC has a long history of promoting ethical business practices and education quality. To qualify for their accreditation, you must meet a selection of criteria including that at least 51% of your courses must be distance or correspondence education.
2. National Faith-Related Accrediting Organization
This classification accredits institutions that have a religious affiliation or are spiritually focused. Typically these organizations accredit entire institutions rather than programs or specific schools within the institution.
These CHEA-recognized accrediting bodies are:
Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)
Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS)
Association of Theological Schools The Commission on Accrediting (ATS)
Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS)
3. National Career-Related Accrediting Organization
These organizations focus on institutions that offer vocational and professional courses that are typically non-degree and for-profit. Again, this focus mainly on entire institutions rather than specific programs and schools.
What is the purpose of the accreditation process?
Accreditation serves many purposes. Because U.S. institutions operate independently, accrediting agencies keep colleges and universities accountable. It also serves to distinguish programs worthy of funding opportunities.
Is It Easy To Get Accredited?
It isn’t just simply applying to one of these organizations and hey presto you’re an accredited institution. You need to put in a lot of work to make sure you meet the standards.
What are the different types of accreditation?
The two types of college accreditation are institutional accreditation and programmatic (or specialized) accreditation. Institutional accreditation covers the entire institution, whether it’s a two-year, four-year, on-campus, or online school. Programmatic accreditation recognizes a specific program at a school. It is typically most important for professional fields like teaching, healthcare, business, nursing, and law.
What is the difference between programmatic and institutional accreditation?
Without institutional accreditation, you may not be able to get federal financial aid or transfer your credits to another school. Programmatic accreditation doesn’t typically affect your ability to receive financial aid. However, depending on the major, it could stop you from receiving credentials or transferring credits. For instance, graduate schools, especially nursing schools, may not accept credits from unaccredited schools.
What is the value of programmatic accreditation?
Programmatic accreditation ensures that academic programs meet certain professional standards. This process not only protects students but also maintains criteria for professional certification in the field. By setting general criteria for specific majors and departments, programs can set goals to improve curricula and courses that prepare students for specific jobs, such as nurses, teachers, and business professionals. However, CEAC does not approve accreditation for liberal arts institutions.
