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Accreditation in Higher Education Accreditation is a system for recognizing educational institutions and professional programs affiliated with those institutions for a level of performance, integrity, and quality which entitles them to the confi- dence of the educational community and the public they serve. In the United States this recognition is extended primarily through nongov- ernmental, voluntary institutional or professional associates. These groups establish criteria for recognition, arrange site visits, and evalu- ate those institutions and professional programs that desire recognition status they approve for recognition those which meet their criteria. Institutional accreditation is granted by the accrediting commis- sions of associations of schools and colleges, which collectively serve most of the institutions chartered or licensed in the United Sates and its possessions. These commissions and associations accredit total operating units only. Specialized accreditation of professional schools and programs is granted by commissions on accreditation set up by national profes- sional organizations in such areas as business, dentistry, engineering, and law. Each of these groups has its distinctive definitions of eligibil- ity, criteria for accreditation and operating procedures, but all have undertaken accreditation activities, primarily to provide quality assur- ances concerning the educational preparation of members of the pro- fession. USES OF ACCREDITATION In most other countries the establishment and maintenance of edu- cational standards are the responsibility of a central government bureau. In the United States, however, public authority in education is constitutionally reserved to the states. The system of voluntary non- governmental evaluation called accreditation has evolved to promote both regional and national approaches to the determination of educa- tional quality. While accreditation is basically a private, nonvoluntary process, accrediting decisions are used as a consideration in many official actions: federal funding agencies consider accreditation as an impor- tant factor in determining eligibility for financial assistance scholar- ship commissions and philanthropic foundations frequently limit their grants to accredited institutions or programs of study employers rely on the accredited status of institutions when evaluating credentials school counselors use the decisions in advising students about colleges and programs college and university officials depend on them to assess and award academic credit and potential students need them for assurance that a college or university has met minimum require- ments for educational quality. In addition, these decisions are useful to faculty and staff in their efforts to develop comprehensive educational goals. In many professions, eligibility for certification or licensure is limited to graduates of accredited institutions. Finally, the public is protected from unqualified graduates who may have been inade- quately prepared for professional practice. The accrediting process is also useful in helping institutions main- tain high educational standards and improve quality. The accrediting bodies provide counsel to both established and developing institutions and protect them from both external and internal encroachments that might jeopardize their educational effectiveness and academic free- dom. The accrediting process is continuously evolving. The trend has been from quantitative to qualitative criteria, from the early days of simple checklists to an increasing interest and emphasis on measuring the outcomes of educational experiences. The process begins with the institutional or programmatic self-study, a comprehensive effort to measure progress according to previously accepted objected. The self-study considers the interests of a broad cross- section of constituencies—students, faculty administrators, alumni, trust- ees, and in some circumstances, the local community. The resulting report is reviewed by the appropriate accrediting commission and serves as the basis for evaluation by a site-visit team from the accrediting group. The site-visit team normally consists of professional educators (faculty and administrators), specialists selected according to the nature of the institu- tion and members representing specific public interests. The visiting team considers the institution or program according to the dimensions of the self-study and adds judgments based on its own expertise and its external perspective. The evaluation team completes a report, which is reviewed by the institution or program for factual accuracy. The original self-study, the team report and any response the institution or program may wish to make are forwarded to an accreditation review committee. The review body uses these materials as the basis for action regarding the accreditation status of the institution or program. Negative actions may be appealed according to established procedures of the accrediting body. Accrediting bodies reserve the right to review member institutions or programs at any time for cause. They also reserve the right to review any substantive changes, such as an expansion from undergraduate to graduate offerings. In this way accrediting bodies hold their member institutions and programs continually accountable to their educational peers, to the constituencies they serve, and to the public interest. Historically and currently, accreditation at the postsecondary level may be said to foster excellence in postsecondary education through the development of uniform national criteria and guidelines for assessing edu- cational effectiveness to encourage improvement through continuous self-study and review and to assure the educational community, the gen- eral public, and other agencies or organizations that an institution or pro- gram has clearly defined and appropriate objectives, maintains conditions under which their achievement can reasonably be expected, appears in fact to be accomplishing them substantially, and can be expected to continue to do so. Accrediting bodies do not rank or grade institutions they either accredit or decline to accredit them. Most commissions, however, do spec- ify a definite term for which their accreditation is valid, five years usually being the maximum for initial accreditation and ten years for reaccredida- tion. Many accrediting bodies award candidate status to developing or newly applying institutions, which satisfy eligibility requirements and that present evidence of sound planning, adequate implementation resources, and potential for meeting stated goals within a reasonable period of time.