Formed in 1962 for the purpose of promoting the development of quality education in the western region, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges is an official body responsible for the accreditation of elementary and secondary private and public schools, colleges, and universities in California and Hawaii, as well as educational institutions within United States territory in Guam, The Federated States of Micronesia, the Pacific Rim, East Asia, Palau, the Northern Marianas Islands, and American Samoa. Click here to visit the official WASC website. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of five such associations responsible for accreditation of educational institutions in the United States.
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which has jurisdiction over educational institutions in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, and the US Virgin Islands. The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools also accredits schools for US children in the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.
The New England Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits educational institutions in the six New England states.
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, which has jurisdiction over educational institutions in Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
The Northwest Accreditation Commission and the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which grant accreditation to educational institutions in Alaska, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, and Washington.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits educational institutions in Georgia, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas.
For Prospective Students
There are a number of universities and colleges offering an online or correspondence-based education in a number of degree programs that cite national accreditation. If you’re researching colleges and universities you’d like to attend, keep in mind that regional accreditation can help ensure that your credits will transfer to another regionally accredited college or university in the event that you choose to pursue a post-graduate degree. National accreditation, while not necessarily without merit, is typically not recognized by regionally accredited universities and colleges. That means credits from a nationally accredited educational institution will likely not transfer into a post-graduate degree program.
The credits you earn at a college or university that is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges will generally transfer to another college or university accredited by any of the other five accrediting associations, and vice-versa.
When Does Regional Accreditation Matter?
While many companies will hire an individual who possesses a degree from a nationally accredited institution, jobs in the public sector requiring a particular degree typically only consider degrees from regionally accredited colleges and universities as “valid”. Likewise, regionally accredited universities offering post-graduate degrees require new students to possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. To be safe, check with the college or university before enrolling to be sure that they are regionally accredited and think twice before enrolling in a program that lacks regional accreditation, even if the school offering the program boasts of national accreditation.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six accrediting bodies in the United States. It grants schools, colleges, and universities regional accreditation, which simply means that the standard of education at accredited institutions meet certain minimum requirements.
For a complete list of regional and national institutional accrediting agencies in the United States recognized by the US Secretary of Education, click here.
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