The Accreditation Question

Unaccredited colleges and universities have been around for years. Students are becoming more educated about asking for proof of this before enrolling in a program of study, but many still are woefully ignorant about accreditation and what it means, and does not mean.

Accreditation is, according to Wikipedia, "a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented". In traditional institutions of higher education, this is accomplished by a review from an external agency. These are often geographically assigned, with some of the most recognized higher education accreditation agencies being: Middle States Commission on Higher Education, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and others (for a complete listing, see the Department of Education College Accreditation page: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg6.html)

An interesting and sneaky trend happening in some of the most questionable for-profit institutions of higher education is the purchasing of accreditation through the acquisition of an accredited institution that they can then use as a front to their quickie, online programs - some worthy, others questionable, at best. In 2010, Business Week reported that,

"The nation's for-profit higher-education companies have tripled enrollment, to 1.4 million students, and revenue, to $26 billion, in the past decade, in part through the recruitment of low-income students and active-duty military. Now they're taking a new tack. By exploiting loopholes in government regulation and an accreditation system that wasn't designed to evaluate for-profit takeovers, they're acquiring struggling nonprofit and religious colleges—and their coveted accreditation." (Golden, Daniel in the 4 March 2010 issue of Business Week, found online at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_11/b4170050344129.htm)

Why would an online, for-profit school bother to purchase a failing religious university or small, liberal arts college? According to Golden, it can be worth millions and serves primarily as a portal to accreditation so that the company can use it as a front to open branch campuses and (even more profitable) online programs in multiples.

Ashford University was another struggling midwestern college that wound up being purchased by a for-profit corporation, and turned into a for-profit, online, degree-churning machine, and accreditation or not, many students find the experience to be less than "collegial" as reported here: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/education/ashford.html

After reading these student comments and complaints, I will now tell you that Ashford is accredited by the same accrediting agency that accredits the University of Chicago but I bet a boatload of money that the experiences at Ashford are very different from those at the University of Chicago.

Accreditation verification is only the first step. It's important to know more, and to ask the hard questions like what do your students say about your school (and this is NOT a question for the admissions office - do a Google search). It's also good to ask employers their opinions.

Be Smartt about accreditation and don't end up, as one Ashford student describes, " ...stuck with a huge bill and no degree."