What Happens if a College or University Does not Meet the Accrediting standards?

When you decide to attend college, you assume that the hardest decision you will need to make is selecting a major. While choosing your major early on in your career as a student is important, it is also important to choose the right college or university to attain the degree from. Not all colleges and post-secondary institutions are created equally, and the last thing you want to do is spend 4 years going to school just to earn a degree that is worth nothing more than a piece of paper.

When you select a school that is accredited by one or multiple regional, national, or specialized accredited bodies, you have peace of mind in knowing that your degree is valuable and you have used your time attaining it wisely. Thousands of schools across the globe continually meet the standards set by bodies that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, but there are plenty of schools that do not meet the standards of these bodies and are denied for the validation or lose the credential when it is time for renewal. Read on and learn exactly what happens when a post-secondary institution does not meet the strict standards of a reputable accreditation agency or body.

Without Accreditation a School Cannot Apply to Offer FASFA

If a school loses or is denied for a regional accreditation with one of the 6 different regional agencies in the country, it means that this school has not met the institutional standards that all participating schools must meet. For schools that had a provisional accreditation or a credential that was up for renewal, this can be extremely damaging. Both private and public schools must currently be accredited to be able to accept Federal Financial Student Aide Applications.

With a majority of students relying on this aide to fund their college tuition, failing to meet the standards can affect the entire student body and lead to lower graduation rates and higher debt. If you are relying solely on a Pell Grant and other forms of federal aide to afford school, you need to be sure that the college meets standards regularly or you could become a student that falls victim to a lost accreditation.

Credits Will No Longer Be Transferable

If you attend a community college to earn your Associate’s, you will need to transfer to a university later to pursue your Bachelor’s. The credits that you earn at that community college are only transferable if the school they were earned from is accredited. This can even affect you if you are initially in a university earning undergraduate credits and the school fails to meet standards while you are enrolled because you may have to repeat classes in order for a business school to recognize your credits. Do not put your time to waste by choosing a school that cannot consistently meet accreditation standards.

You should always verify that a school is accredited and has years left of accreditation before you even apply for admissions to the school. If you want to check to see whether or not a school has been validated by an agency, visit the official government site to verify that a reputable agency has granted the school this credential. Here you can find the details and get the assurance that you need.

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