Benefits of Accreditation
Beyond eligibility to participate in financial aid and professional licensure requirements, what advantages has your school or program found for being accredited?
Accreditation for our college goes far beyond higher education accreditation. Every hospital site that we attempt affiliation with expect accreditation, and many require not only "HEA," but NLNAC. There seems to be a stigma attached to schools that do not accreditation related specifically to nursing, even though the school has approval from the board of nursing in the state. Graduates are asked more and more if their school is accredited by NLNAC. Accreditation is one of the first questions that prospective students ask, therefore, being able to state that we are accredited with "HEA" is a plus. I noted in some of the other post it was stated that students seem to depend on accreditation as a determining factor for their success, and there is competition among schools in regards to accreditation versus non-accreditation. This is so true and schools use this as their plus in obtaining affiliation agreements for student placement for clinical. While I do not feel this will ensure a students success, it does attract higher quality faculty which "may", in turn, ensure better success of students. The literature states that accreditation also helps weed out schools that are of lower quality. Too many schools set up business as a school, and do not produce quality graduates, specifically in nursing, causing a greater gap in quality health care. The gaps in levels of education has always been an issue in nursing education which has always made it difficult for nursing to settle on how much education is needed for the varying levels: PN, ADN,BSN,etc. Therefore, accreditation does help narrow this gap by setting specific education expectations.
Accreditation provides a 3rd party checks and balance system necessary to ensure each school is acting and serving in the best interest of its students. Programmatic accreditation can also positively influence placement, retention, enrollment, and overall institutional effectiveness.
The benefit is that the student can transfer credits if needed. They will also be able to say that they went to an accredited school if questioned by an employer or potential employer
Accreditation has been very beneficial to obtaining clinical placements for the students.
Some professions or employers require that graduates attend an accredited program to apply for licensure or employment.
Hi Emily,
It really is a learning experience for students! I have never thought of that idea, but clearly many students do not understand the meaning of accreditation; the process that institutions must go through to become accredited; and (sometimes even) how to pronounce the word! It is important to educate students and prospective students on this topic. When we talk to our students about accreditation, we are not only providing the student with valuable information, we are also helping to build our institution’s “brand†and reputation.
Thanks, Mary
Accreditation offers an institution many benefits. Seeking/receiving accreditation shows commitment on the part of institution to constantly and consistently provide quality instruction and superior customer service. One may argue that by being accredited does not necessarily display any specific commitment, but I would argue that it should and does bind you to “doing business†at a set level of quality. This level of quality is how an institution’s reputation is built and how satisfied students are “bornâ€.
Another benefit of accreditation is that of accountability. Every employee plays a role in educating students. Whether it is Marketing or IT or the HR department, level of quality does not just fall with the instructors. Higher education is a puzzle. Just one piece that is not fit and functioning properly hinders and harms the complete unit.
Allows for recognition of certain programs for the students, particularly the necesssity of having an accredited college for an employer.
It provides students with a level of trust when deciding to enroll.
It helps students establish a good reputation for the school when selecting a school.
I couldn't agree more. It is important to students and employers alike. That is why we partner with several businesses when designing and updating our curriculum so we can make sure we are providing our students with the knowledge they need to be productive in their respective fields.
Students seem more confident in their decisions to enroll at our college because we are accredited. It also helps with financial aid packaging options because some employer tuition reimbursement programs require their employees to attend an accredited college in order to use their tuition reimbursement program.
We just went through reaccreditation and it was very thorough and informative.
In the nursing field, accreditation is crucial for job placement.
I agree. Accreditation is definitely important for a variety of reason, and we inform students of our accreditation status. Still, I wonder how many students do their homework on accreditation when choosing a school?
I found it is also important to clearly define the difference between programmatic accreditation and approval status if applicable (example: ADN-RN program approval status from the State Board of Nursing vs. Programmatic Accreditation). Fully disclosing your status builds institutional credibility not only with your students, but with the community.
I completely agree. Students ask all the time if we are accredited. They enjoy the fact that we are accredited! They feel that going to an accredited school will open more doors in the future for them with getting a job or futhering their education.
I've come across this misconception several times, too. A tactic that I've used is to ask a prospective student if he/she understands what accreditation actually means... some do and some don't, so that helps me understand how to address the topic.
The importance of this "stamp of approval" by the US Dept of Ed cannot be overstated. I've found that it's much more difficult to build a solid reputation than it is to lose one. This concept drives every decision that I make during my daily interactions with students, and I tie this to understanding the importance of accreditation.
Your right, the key to having a good school is having the confidence that your school is doing everything right and meeting all compliance standards. The consumer is doing more and more research to know that they are attending a good school.
