Regional accreditation
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/199.218.107.126|199.218.107.126]] to last version by Eastlaw (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
'''Regional accreditation''' is a term used in the [[United States]] to refer to the process by which one of several [[school accreditation|accrediting]] bodies, each serving one of six defined geographic areas of the country, accredits schools, colleges, and universities. Each regional accreditor encompasses the vast majority of public and nonprofit private educational institutions in the region it serves.
==Comparison of vocational and regional accreditation==
Vocational and religious accreditation groups have standards that are different from regional accreditors. For example, [[Trinity College (Florida)]] holds accreditation from the [[Association for Biblical Higher Education]].[http://abhe.gospelcom.net/accredited.htm#T] Trinity applied for regional accreditation from [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]], but was rejected in December 2005. In December 2005, SACS reviewed the college and rejected the application for accreditation because "Trinity College of Florida failed to provide information demonstrating its compliance with Core Requirement 2.5 (Institutional Effectiveness), Core Requirement 2.7.1 (Program Length), Core Requirement 2.7.2 (Program Content), Core Requirement 2.8 (Faculty), Comprehensive Standard 3.7.1 (Faculty), and Core Requirement 2.9 (Learning Resources and Services) of the Principles of Accreditation.[http://www.sacscoc.org/disclosure/dec2005/Trinity%20of%20Florida.pdf]
Regionally accredited schools are predominantly academically oriented, non-profit institutions.<ref name=usaed/><ref name=yahoo/> Nationally accredited schools are predominantly for-profit and offer vocational, career or technical programs.<ref name=usaed/><ref name=yahoo/> Every college has the right to set standards and refuse to accept transfer credits. However, if a student has gone to a nationally accredited school it may be particularly difficult to transfer credits (or even credit for a degree earned) if he or she then applies to a regionally accredited college. Some regionally accredited colleges have general policies against accepting any credits from nationally accredited schools, others are reluctant to because they feel that these schools' academic standards are lower than their own or they are unfamiliar with the particular school. The student who is planning to transfer credits from a nationally accredited school to a regionally accredited school should ensure that the regionally accredited school will accept the credits before they enroll in the nationally accredited school.<ref name="demand">[http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/10/19/transfer ''Demanding Credit'', Inside Higher Education website, dated Oct. 19, 2005 by Scott Jaschik]</ref><ref name="tussle">[http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/02/26/transfer ''Tussling Over Transfer of Credit'', Inside Higher Education website, February 26, 2007 by Doug Lederman]</ref><ref name="usaed">[http://www.useducation.com.pk/stpages/typesofaccreditation.html ''Types of Accreditation'', Education USA website]</ref><ref name="yahoo">[http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/education/courses/distancelearn-09.html ''What is the Difference Between Regional and National Accreditation'', Yahoo! Education website]</ref>
==List of the regional accreditors==
* [[Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools]] - Educational institutions in [[New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Delaware]], [[Maryland]], the [[District of Columbia]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[US Virgin Islands]], as well as schools for American children in [[Europe]], [[North Africa]], and the [[Middle East]].
* [[New England Association of Schools and Colleges]] - Educational institutions in the six [[New England]] states ([[Connecticut]], [[Maine]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New Hampshire]], [[Rhode Island]], and [[Vermont]]).
* [[North Central Association of Colleges and Schools]] - Educational institutions in [[Arkansas]], [[Arizona]], [[Colorado]], [[Iowa]], [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Kansas]], [[Michigan]], [[Minnesota]], [[Missouri]], [[North Dakota]], [[Nebraska]], [[Ohio]], [[Oklahoma]], [[New Mexico]], [[South Dakota]], [[Wisconsin]], [[West Virginia]], and [[Wyoming]].
* [[Northwest Association of Accredited Schools]] - Primary and secondary schools in [[Alaska]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Nevada]], [[Oregon]], [[Utah]], and [[Washington]].
* [[Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities]] - Postsecondary institutions (colleges and universities) in [[Alaska]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Nevada]], [[Oregon]], [[Utah]], and [[Washington]].
* [[Western Association of Schools and Colleges]] - Educational institutions in [[California]], [[Hawaii]], [[Guam]], [[American Samoa]], [[Micronesia]], [[Palau]], and [[Northern Marianas Islands]].
* [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]] - Educational institutions in [[Virginia]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Kentucky]], [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], [[North Carolina]], [[South Carolina]], [[Alabama]], [[Tennessee]] and [[Texas]].
==See also==
* [[Council for Higher Education Accreditation]]
* [[List of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning]]
* [[United States Department of Education]]
==References==
<references/>
== External links ==
* [http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs]
*[http://www.degree.net/guides/accreditation_faqs.html Accreditation FAQ]
*U.S. Department of Education, [http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html Accreditation in the United States]
[[Category:School accreditors| ]]
[[Category:Educational assessment and evaluation]]
[[Category:Accreditation]]
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