Accreditation

(NASC) The Northwest Association of Schools And Colleges. Accreditation of colleges in the north west region (Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.)

(SACS) The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation of colleges in the southern region (Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Louisiana , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , and Virginia)

(WASC) The Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Accreditation of colleges in the western region, which includes California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Pacific Basin, and East Asia, and areas of the Pacific and East Asia where American/International schools or colleges may apply to it for service.

Generally, large well-known universities, such as Harvard and Yale, and statewide colleges are regionally accredited. Smaller, private colleges may be nationally accredited. Programs of study that are regulated by national or state licensing boards may require specialized or professional accreditation, such as the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education or the American Bar Association. The Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) maintain directories of nationally recognized and specialized accrediting agencies. Programs that are nationally accredited may not transfer to a regionally accredited institution. One well known accrediting agency is the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), which accredits institutions offering correspondence or other independent study programs. However, programs accredited by the DETC are not as commonly accepted by regionally accredited institutions.