List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
Encyclopedia
This is a list of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations, as identified by the organizations themselves, government authorities in their respective countries, or other independent authorities. These are entities that are engaged in higher education accreditation
or have been identified as being accreditors, but that lack appropriate recognition or authorization.
Rules for higher education accreditation vary from country to country. In most countries, the function of quality assurance
for higher education institutions is conducted by a government ministry of education. In the United States
, educational accreditation is performed primarily by private nonprofit membership associations, the legitimacy of which is validated through recognition by the United States Department of Education
(USDE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
(CHEA) or both. Often a school claiming accreditation from an unrecognized accrediting body will not be viewed as legitimate in the academic community. Institutional accreditation is usually required by U.S. institutions to receive federal government funds. Also, students who attend institutions of higher education that are accredited through organizations not recognized by the USDE or CHEA do not qualify for U.S. government financial aid.
To aid consumers, several national and international bodies publish lists of recognized accreditors and accredited educational institutions, as well as accreditors that are known to lack the necessary legal authority or recognition, and higher education providers known to lack accreditation. The United States organization CHEA maintains an international directory of education ministries and other recognized higher education quality assurance
bodies worldwide. The 2007 version of that directory lists 467 recognized bodies in 175 countries.
Many, but not all, of the entities in the list below are considered to be fraudulent accreditation mill
s that were set up to help diploma mills lure students and whose "accreditation" has no legal or academic value. Some other listed entities are religious accreditors, whose accreditation may have doctrinal significance but lacks recognized academic value. Also included are some organizations that do not offer educational accreditation
but have been falsely identified as accrediting bodies by organizations that claim to have been accredited by them. A notable example of this last type is UNESCO
. UNESCO has no authority to recognize or accredit higher education institutions or agencies. Nonetheless, because diploma mill
s have claimed false UNESCO accreditation, UNESCO itself has published warnings against education organizations that claim UNESCO recognition or affiliation.
Higher education accreditation
Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
or have been identified as being accreditors, but that lack appropriate recognition or authorization.
Rules for higher education accreditation vary from country to country. In most countries, the function of quality assurance
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
for higher education institutions is conducted by a government ministry of education. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, educational accreditation is performed primarily by private nonprofit membership associations, the legitimacy of which is validated through recognition by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
(USDE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...
(CHEA) or both. Often a school claiming accreditation from an unrecognized accrediting body will not be viewed as legitimate in the academic community. Institutional accreditation is usually required by U.S. institutions to receive federal government funds. Also, students who attend institutions of higher education that are accredited through organizations not recognized by the USDE or CHEA do not qualify for U.S. government financial aid.
To aid consumers, several national and international bodies publish lists of recognized accreditors and accredited educational institutions, as well as accreditors that are known to lack the necessary legal authority or recognition, and higher education providers known to lack accreditation. The United States organization CHEA maintains an international directory of education ministries and other recognized higher education quality assurance
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
bodies worldwide. The 2007 version of that directory lists 467 recognized bodies in 175 countries.
Many, but not all, of the entities in the list below are considered to be fraudulent accreditation mill
Accreditation mill
An accreditation mill is an organization that purports to award educational accreditation to higher education institutions without having government authority or recognition from mainstream academia to operate as an accreditor. Implicit in the terminology is the assumption that the "mill" has low...
s that were set up to help diploma mills lure students and whose "accreditation" has no legal or academic value. Some other listed entities are religious accreditors, whose accreditation may have doctrinal significance but lacks recognized academic value. Also included are some organizations that do not offer educational accreditation
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
but have been falsely identified as accrediting bodies by organizations that claim to have been accredited by them. A notable example of this last type is UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. UNESCO has no authority to recognize or accredit higher education institutions or agencies. Nonetheless, because diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
s have claimed false UNESCO accreditation, UNESCO itself has published warnings against education organizations that claim UNESCO recognition or affiliation.
A
- Academy for the Promotion of International Culture and Scientific Exchange (APICS)
- Accelerated Degree Programs
- Accreditation Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries, Morgantown, Kentucky
- Accreditation Council for Distance Education
- Accreditation Governing Commission of the United States of America
- Accreditation Panel for Online Colleges and Universities
- Accrediting Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries, Sarasota, Florida
- Accrediting Commission for Specialized Colleges
- Accrediting Commission InternationalAccrediting Commission InternationalAccrediting Commission International , also known as Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges, and Theological Seminaries, possibly associated with International Accrediting Commission , also known as International Accrediting Commission for Schools, Colleges and Theological...
(ACI) (in Beebe, ArkansasBeebe, ArkansasBeebe, Arkansas is a city in White County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,930 at the 2000 census, making it the second most populous in the county after Searcy. The city is home to a branch campus of Jonesboro-based Arkansas State University. It was named for Roswell Beebe, a...
) (aka International Accrediting Commission) - Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges, and Theological Seminaries (ACI) (in Beebe, ArkansasBeebe, ArkansasBeebe, Arkansas is a city in White County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,930 at the 2000 census, making it the second most populous in the county after Searcy. The city is home to a branch campus of Jonesboro-based Arkansas State University. It was named for Roswell Beebe, a...
) (aka Accrediting Commission International) - Accrediting Council for Colleges and Schools (ACCS)
- Adult Higher Education Alliance (AHEA)
- Alternative Institution Accrediting Association (AIAA)
- American Accrediting Association of Theological InstitutionsAmerican Accrediting Association of Theological InstitutionsAmerican Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions is a Christian nonprofit accreditation mill, based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was formed in 1983...
(AATI) (in Rocky Mount, North CarolinaRocky Mount, North CarolinaRocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
) - American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation (AAHEA) Based in Ocala, FloridaOcala, FloridaOcala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
, but uses the name and Washington, DC telephone number of another organization that is now defunct. - American Association of Drugless Practitioners Commission on Accreditation (AADPCA)
- American Association of Independent Collegiate Schools of Business
- American Association of International Medical Graduates (AAIMG)
- American Association of Non-traditional Colleges and Universities (AANCU)
- American Association of Non-Traditional Private Postsecondary Education
- American Association of Schools (AAS)
- American Association of Universities and Colleges (AAUC)
- American Bureau of Higher Education (ABHE)
- American Council of Private Colleges and Universities (ACPCU) (connected to the operator of Hamilton UniversityHamilton UniversityHamilton University was an unaccredited institution based in Evanston, Wyoming, USA. According to the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, it was first established in Hawaii as American State University...
, now called Richardson University) - American Council on Private School Accreditation (ACPSA)
- American Education Association for the Accreditation of Schools, Colleges & Universities
- American Federation of Colleges and Schools (AFCS)
- American Federation of Colleges and Seminaries(AmFed)(AFCS) or American Federation of Christian Colleges and Schools (in Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, FloridaLakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
) - American Naturopathic Certification Board (ANCB)
- American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board (ANMAB)
- American Naturopathic Medical Certification and Accreditation Board (ANMCAB or ANMAB)
- American Naturopathic Medicine Association (ANMA)
- American Psycotherapy Association
- American Universities Admission Program
- American University Accreditation Council (connected to the operator of the University of Northern VirginiaUniversity of Northern VirginiaThe University of Northern Virginia or UNVA is an unaccredited for-profit private undergraduate and graduate university located in Northern Virginia. Founded in 1998, the university offers bachelors, Masters and doctoral degrees. The school's Virginia locations include Annandale, Manassas, and...
) - Arizona Commission of Non-Traditional Private Postsecondary Education
- Asia Theological AssociationAsia Theological AssociationAsia Theological Association is a private nongovernmental association formed by evangelical Christians in Asia to confer accreditation to theological institutions in Asia.-History:...
(ATA) - Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)
- Association for Distance Learning Programs (ADLP)(aka National Academy of Higher EducationNational Academy of Higher EducationNational Academy of Higher Education identifies itself as an organization specializing in evaluation of people's educational credentials. Some United States educational authorities identify it as an unrecognized accreditation organization or accreditation mill...
and Association of Distance Learning Programs) - Association for Innovation in Distance Education
- Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAE) (may be based in Wales)
- Association of Accredited Private Schools
- Association of Career Training Schools
- Association of Christian Colleges and Theological SchoolsAssociation of Christian Colleges and Theological SchoolsAssociation of Christian Colleges and Theological Schools, ACCTS, is a Christian theological "approval" board that is not recognized as an educational accreditor by the United States Department of Education . It is located in the state of Louisiana. Gary Wilson is the current president.ACCTS holds...
(in Louisiana or Virginia) - Association of Distance Learning Programs (ADLP) (aka Association for Distance Learning and National Academy of Higher Education)
- Association of Independent Christian Colleges & Seminaries
- Association of International Education Assessors (includes Council for Distance Education Accreditation)
- Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries
B
- Board of Online Universities Accreditation (BOUA)
- British Learning Association (BLA)
C
- Central States Consortium of Colleges & Schools (CSCCS) (connected to the operator of Breyer State University)
- Centre of Academic Excellence UK (CAEUK)
- Central States Council on Distance Education (CSCDE), (Washington, DC); alternatively named Central States Association Council on Distance Education
- Christian Accrediting Association (CAA)
- College for Professional Assessment
- Council for the Accreditation of Correspondence Schools
- Commission for the Accreditation of European Non-Traditional Universities
- Commission on Medical Denturitry Accreditation (COMDA)
- Commission on Online Higher Learning
- Council for Distance Education Accreditation (CDEA), (connected to Association of International Education Assessors)
- Council for International Education Accreditation (CIEA)
- Council on Postsecondary Alternative Education
- Council on Postsecondary Christian Education - According to John BearJohn BearJohn Bjorn Bear is an American authority on distance education and a writer of creative reference works. Bear holds bachelor and master degrees from University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate from Michigan State University...
's list of unrecognized accreditors, this organization was established by the operators of LaSalle University (Louisiana) and Kent College (Louisiana). - Council on Medical Denturitry Education (COMDE)
D
- Distance Education Council (DEC) (connected to the operator of Saint Regis UniversitySaint Regis UniversitySaint Regis University is a now-defunct diploma mill operation that was one of about 120 connected institutions operated by an American fraud ring from about 1999 until 2005, when it was shut down by U.S. government authorities....
) (not to be confused with the legitimate Distance Education CouncilDistance Education CouncilDistance Education Council is an organisation based in New Delhi, India responsible for the promotion and coordination of the open university and distance education system and for determination of its standards in India. The Council was constituted under the Indira Gandhi National Open University...
recognized by the Indian Department of Education http://www.education.nic.in/higedu.asp) - Distance Education Council of America
- Distance Graduation Accrediting Association
- Distance Learning Council of Europe (DLCE) (connected to University Degree ProgramUniversity Degree ProgramUniversity Degree Program is an unaccredited consortium of diploma mills run by Americans Jason and Caroline Abraham beginning in the 1990s...
)
E
- Education Accrediting Association (in Idaho)
- Educational Accreditation Association (in Idaho)
- Education Commission for Integrative Health (ECIH)
- Education Quality Assurance Commission (EQAC)
- European Accreditation Board of Higher Education Schools (in France, Belgium, and UK)
- European Committee for Home and Online Education (ECHOE) (connected to University Degree ProgramUniversity Degree ProgramUniversity Degree Program is an unaccredited consortium of diploma mills run by Americans Jason and Caroline Abraham beginning in the 1990s...
) - European Council for Distance and Open Learning (ECDOE) (connected to University Degree ProgramUniversity Degree ProgramUniversity Degree Program is an unaccredited consortium of diploma mills run by Americans Jason and Caroline Abraham beginning in the 1990s...
) - Examining Board of Natural Medicine Practitioners (EBNMP)
- Expressive Psychology Association
H
- Higher Education Accreditation Commission (HEAC)
- Higher Education Services Association (HESA) (connected to University Consulting Inc.University Consulting Inc.University Consulting Inc. is an unaccredited higher education institution. It has no status or recognition with the United States Department of Education. University Consulting Inc...
) - Hygienic Doctors Association (HDA)
I
- Integra Accreditation Association (IAA)
- Inter-Collegiate Joint Committee on Academic Standards (ICJCAS)
- Interfaith Education Ministries (IEM)
- International Academic Accrediting Commission (IAAC)
- International Accreditation Agency for Online UniversitiesInternational Accreditation Agency for Online UniversitiesThe International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities is a self-styled "accreditation" board based in the United States. It has no status with the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
(IAAOU) (connected to operators of Ashwood UniversityAshwood UniversityAshwood University is an institution which claims to award academic degrees based on "life experience". Ashwood University is not accredited by any recognised accreditation body. As such, its degrees may not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles may be...
, Belford UniversityBelford UniversityBelford University is an organization offering online unaccredited degrees for "life experience". The organization maintains a post office box in Humble, Texas, but its certificates are mailed from the United Arab Emirates.-Accreditation status:...
, and Rochville UniversityRochville UniversityRochville University is an unaccredited online university offering a "Life Experience Degree, and Certificate Program". It has been accused of being a diploma mill...
) - International Accreditation Association (IAA)
- International Accreditation for Universities, Colleges and Institutes (IAUCI)
- International Accreditation and Recognition Council (IARC)
- International Accrediting Association for Colleges and Universities (IAACU)
- International Accrediting Commission (IAC) (Kenosha, Wisconsin) (aka Accrediting Commission International)
- International Accrediting Commission for Schools, Colleges, and Theological Seminaries (IAC) (aka International Accrediting Commission)
- International Accrediting Commission for Postsecondary Institutions (IACPI)
- International Accrediting Commission for Postsecondary Education Institutions
- International Association for Distance Learning (IADL)
- International Association of Educators for World PeaceInternational Association of Educators for World PeaceThe International Association of Educators for World Peace is a nongovernmental organization affiliated with the United Nations and engaged in the promotion of peace education....
- International Association of Universities and Schools (IAUS) (not to be confused with the International Association of Universities (IAU))
- International Commission for Higher Education (ICHE)
- International Commission of Open Post Secondary Education (ICOPSE)
- International Commission on Distance Learning, founded in ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
by Roldán Moré - International Council for Open and Distance EducationInternational Council for Open and Distance EducationThe International Council for Open and Distance Education, or ICDE, is a global membership organisation in the field of open and distance education, and in formal consultative relations with UNESCO. It was founded in 1938 in Canada as the International Council for Correspondence Education.ICDE...
(ICODE) - International Distance Education and Learning Council (IDETC) (not to be confused with the US-recognized Distance Education and Training CouncilDistance Education and Training CouncilThe Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education institutions.- History :...
(DETC)) - International Distance Learning Accrediting Association (IDLAA)
- International Education Ministry of Accreditation Association
- International Interfaith Accreditation Associationhttp://www.iiaaweb.org/ (IIAA) (Closing down operations at the end of May 2007)
- International (States) Parliament for Safety and PeaceInternational Parliament for Safety and PeaceThe International Parliament for Safety and Peace , sometimes written along with the designation New Society of Nations, is a private organization based in Palermo, Italy whose stated intention is the promotion of security and peace...
(IPSP or ISPSP), operating from PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - International University Accrediting Association (IUAA) (in California)
M
- Middle States Accrediting Board (MSAB)
- Mid States Accrediting Agency
- Midwestern States Accreditation Agency (MSAA)
N
- National Academy of Higher EducationNational Academy of Higher EducationNational Academy of Higher Education identifies itself as an organization specializing in evaluation of people's educational credentials. Some United States educational authorities identify it as an unrecognized accreditation organization or accreditation mill...
(NAHE) - National Academy of Higher Learning
- National Accreditation Association (NAA)
- National Association for Private Post-Secondary Education (NAPSE)
- National Association for the Legal Support of Alternative Schools (NALSAS)
- National Association of Alternative Schools and Colleges (NAASC)
- National Association of Open Campus Colleges (NAOCC)
- National Association of Private Nontraditional Schools and CollegesNational Association of Private Nontraditional Schools and CollegesThe National Association of Private Nontraditional Schools and Colleges is a United States educational accreditation agency, based in Grand Junction, Colorado, that is not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
(NAPNSC), (Grand Junction, Colorado) - National Board of Education of Liberia
- National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE)
- National Council of Schools and Colleges (NCSC)
- National Distance Learning Accreditation Council (NDLAC) (Glendale UniversityGlendale UniversityGlendale University or Glenndale University is an unaccredited online supplier of academic degrees. It was founded in 1997.Educational authorities in the states of Oregon and Maine report that Glendale markets itself using the same website as Oaklands University, another unaccredited...
and Suffield UniversitySuffield UniversitySuffield University is a degree mill, an unaccredited internet school specializing in what it calls Life Experience Degrees, issued upon payment, with life experience assessment based on the word of the applicant. Suffield is not accredited by any accreditation body recognized by its country...
claim NDLAC accreditation) - National Learning Online Council (NLOC)
- Naturopathic National Council (NNC)
- Non-traditional Course Accreditation Body (NTCAB)
- Northwest Regional Accrediting Agency
P
- Pacific Association of Schools and Colleges (PASC)
- Professional Board of Hypnotherapy
Q
- Quality Assurance Commission UK Limited (Should not be confused with QAAQuality Assurance Agency for Higher EducationEstablished in 1997, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education works to ensure that higher education qualifications in the United Kingdom are of a sound standard. It protects the public interest by checking how universities and colleges maintain their academic standards and quality...
)
S
- Southern Accrediting Association of Bible Institutes and Colleges (SAABIC)
- Southern Association of Accredited Colleges and Universities
T
- The Association for Online Distance Learning (TAODL)
- Transworld Accrediting Commission International (TWACI), Riverside, California, USA
U
- UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
- United Congress of Colleges (UCC) (Ireland, UK)
- US-DETC—Nevada (not to be confused with the legitimate Distance Education and Training CouncilDistance Education and Training CouncilThe Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in the accreditation of distance education institutions.- History :...
(DETC), based in Washington DC) - United States Distance Learning AssociationUnited States Distance Learning AssociationThe United States Distance Learning Association is a non-profit association that promotes the development and application of distance education. It was formed in 1987 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts....
(USDLA); states that it does not provide accreditation, but has been claimed as an accreditor by entities including Madison UniversityMadison UniversityMadison University is a non-accredited distance learning college located in Gulfport, Mississippi. The state of Mississippi considers Madison an "unapproved" college. Madison is also listed as an unaccredited and/or substandard institution by four other U.S. states... - Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation (UCOEA)
V
- Verity College (Illinois, Michigan)
- Virtual University Accrediting Association (VUAA)
- Virtual University Accrediting Association (in California) (VUAA)
W
- West European Accrediting Society (WEAS)
- Western Accrediting Agency
- Western Association of Private Alternative Schools (WAPAS)
- Western Council on Non-Traditional Private Post Secondary Education (WCNPPSE)
- World Association of Universities and CollegesWorld Association of Universities and CollegesThe World Association of Universities and Colleges, WAUC, is an institutional accrediting body not recognized by the United States Department of Education. It is run by Maxine Asher, director of the American World University, an unaccredited school. WAUC's website claims that "laws in the U.S.A...
(WAUC) (in Nevada; operated by Maxine AsherMaxine AsherMaxine Klein Asher , an Atlantis researcher who founded and operates American World University, an institution which sells academic degrees, and the World Association of Universities and Colleges, an institution which "accredits" American World University, as well as other universities selling...
) - World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions
- World Council For Excellence in Higher Education (WCEHE)
- World Online Education Accrediting CommissionWorld Online Education Accrediting CommissionThe World Online Education Accrediting Commission is an entity with no identified geographic location that represents itself as an accrediting organization for online degree providers...
(WOEAC) - World-wide Accreditation Commission of Christian Educational Institutions (WACCEI)
- Worldwide Accrediting Commission
See also
- Diploma millDiploma millA diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
- List of recognized higher education accreditation organizations
- List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning