Accreditation: National vs Regional
Is one accreditation more credible than another and is there any pros or cons to attending a school based on accreditation and why.
Andrew,
Transfer of credits is just not that simple. You may be learning different things in different courses. The length of the courses maybe different. The amount of lab time done in each course may be different. There are so many factors involved and it takes an intensive review for transfer credits.
Patty Aronoff
I have been in admissions for about 6 months now and i am still trying to understand why if a school is accredited some schools choose not to accept that program even if the program is of equal length and structure
Marc,
Accreditation is so school specific in looking at what is the best for the students, the programs and the school. It is a very laborious task and also very expensive.
Patty Aronoff
Yes, there is a difference. In the past I worked for a nationally accredited institution. We consistently received pushback from multiple potential students, especially whenever it had to do with transfer credits or continuing education credits. The positive side is that we were able to change curriculum as needed to keep up with industry standards.
Now that I'm with a regionally accredited degree, I've found that we are more recognizable, especially when dealing with pay bumps for teachers and our Education degree.
Tiffany,
Transfer of credits is not even guaranteed between institutions carrying the same accreditation. The only guarantee comes with articulation agreements. Otherwise, each situation is different and is dependent upon the circumstances of the student and transcript.
Patty Aronoff
Christopher,
Transfer credits are determined by the receiving institution. It takes much research to determine which accrediting body is the best fit. One of the factors certainly would be what
Patty Aronoff
There is a difference in creditation. I just do not understand why schools just can't be Regionally accredited. Some schools tell students that their credits will transfer but reality is if the student goes to school for 4 years and obtain a bachelors and decide that they want to continue on for a Master's what if there are limited schools that offer the Master's in program of study but are only nationally accredited then what do you do? students might feel that they waisted time attending a school that they now cannot contineu for a Master's. I beleive that schools should accept credits from any school.
Hello All,
I think it's a matter of what the student is looking for. I do agree that regional will turn down national accreditted credits from our students. However during the course of the admissions interview the prospective student must be identified on what exactly it is that they are trying to achieve. Is it just to embark on a specialized trade or career, because they are tired of dead-end jobs? Are they seeking more of an academia based degree. We have to make it very clear on what it is the student is looking to do. Most of our students at what point or another did try community college but lost focus due to pre-requesites and life circumstances. So there can be disadvantages to the credit transferability however we must identify the need of the student. At the end of the day as Patty stated before both are recognized by the USDOE, it's just a matter of what short term and long term goals of the student are.
Leonard and Patty,
From a USDOE or even a quality education standpoint I agree. However, there are some four year schools that will only accept transfer credits from Regionally accredited institutions, so I would count that as a disadvantage of attending a Nationally accredited 2 year school for some people.
~Christopher Britt
Leonard,
Not really. It is first and foremost that it is an agency recognized by both USDOE and CIE. Then your school needs to determine if you required institutional or programmatic is the best fit. Accreditation is very costly.
Patty Aronoff
