Accreditation vs licensing
In brief, the state licensing board licenses non-public postsecondary institutions. Licensing is required. Accreditation is voluntary. There are national accreditation bodies such as ACCET or COE and there is regional accreditation. There are certain requirements in order to be accredited by each type of accrediting board. There is also programmatic accreditation. This means the program has met rigorous guidelines and has been granted accreditation status. If yours is an acupuncture institution, for example, it may be accredited by the board that accredits acupuncture programs.
Immaculee,
You bring a very good point to the forum! Many schools are not accredited but that does not mean they are not a good school.
Patty Aronoff
Many students do not fully understand the difference between accreditation and licensing. They think if a school is not accredited then that means that they are not licensed. Accreditation is voluntary . As long the school is licensed they have can function without being accredited. They tend to get scared and think that the school that is not accredited is not good.
Brenda,
You are right about the importance of accreditation. Also, accreditation can be use as a marketing tool for the institution. In our case, most prospective student first thing that they ask is "are you accredited?"
Brenda,
It is so often confused. We must be diligent in making sure they understand.
Patty Aronoff
It was great to read the explaination of accreditation vs licensing. I have explained this to many candidates and it helps them to understand the opportunities accreditation provides. An accreditation is a very important (although voluntary) thing and we are diligent to be sure we comply with all rules and regs.
Sylvia,
Avocational means personal enrichment.
I was somewhat confused with the term "licensing and accreditation." Thanks for the clarification. To confirm, my institution which is a Avocational, post-secondary institution is not required to be accreditated?
Neldys,
You are right! Many students do not fully understand these terms.
