Recognized Institutions

Recognized Institutions

Transcript Research is a private evaluation company in the United States that makes its determinations about what institutions and programs are considered comparable to regional or national accreditation in the United States based on the higher education recognition practices in the country of education.

US Accreditation/Recognition

There are three types of accrediting bodies in the U.S.: regional, national, and professional or programmatic.

Regional accrediting bodies typically accredit comprehensive institutions that may offer undergraduate and graduate degrees and instruction in a variety of fields. Regional accreditation is the most widely accepted accreditation in the U.S. It is accreditation at the institutional level, and many regionally accredited institutions only accept credits or degrees from other regionally accredited institutions. Regional accrediting agencies are recognized by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Regional accreditation is composed of five key features: self-study, peer review, site visit, actionable recommendations from the accrediting body, and ongoing external review.

Regional accreditation is the most common type of institutional accreditation among U.S. higher education institutions. There are six regional accrediting bodies. They are non-profit and organized by geographic location. They accredit institutions based on the level of education offered, including elementary and high school, vocational and technical institutions, 2-year institutions, 4-year institutions offering the Bachelor's degree as the highest degree, and research or doctoral institutions awarding graduate degrees.

Nationally accredited institutions are also accredited at the institution level, but they are specialized institutions, such as career colleges, religiously-affiliated institutions, or other like-minded institutions. National accreditation refers to those accrediting agencies that accredit specialized or special interest institutions, including independent colleges. It does not refer to a national education system or governmental activity.

National accreditation is not synonymous with regional accreditation, though in 2020, the US Department of Education removed the distinctions for some purposes. The US Department of Education (USDOE) does not accredit educational institutions or programs, but both the USDOE and CHEA oversee the accreditation process and the accreditation agencies.

National accrediting agencies, which may also be referred to as specialized accrediting agencies, tend to accredit specialized institutions offering instructions in only a few subjects, such as law, medical, theology, or performing arts. Some nationally accredited institutions, particularly religiously-affiliated institutions, may also attain regional accreditation. National accrediting bodies include organizations such as the the Distance Education & Training Council (DETC), the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCS), and the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), among others.

Professional or programmatic accreditation is focused on a specific program within a higher education institution. Engineering and architecture are prime examples. In many instances, professional licensure can only be achieved by completing a program that is recognized by a particular professional accrediting body. Business programmatic accreditation is also incredibly popular worldwide.

Programmatic accrediting agencies are accrediting specific programs of study at higher education institutions and not the entire institution. They typically operate in specific subject fields that provide professional education for meeting state licensing requirements. Professional accreditation is only required in the U.S. for professions involving public safety, such as engineering, paramedical and medical studies, and architecture.

More Information:
Council for Higher Education Accreditation: https://www.chea.org/chea-and-usde-recognized-accrediting-organizations and https://www.chea.org/regional-accrediting-organizations and https://www.chea.org/national-career-related-accrediting-organizations-accreditor-type
US Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation/college-accreditation-united-states and https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home > View the list of agencies

International Accreditation/Recognition

There are two elements to recognition: institutional and programmatic recognition. Generally speaking, we look first at the country of study to determine who the educational authorities are for that country. This may be known by many names including Ministry of (Higher) Education, University Grants Commission, or Secretary of Education, among others. For public universities, this is often easier to determine.

Private and/or non-university higher education institutions may have additional recognition steps in the country. In some countries, the Ministry of Higher Education of the country may register private higher education institutions as an education businesses, often called registration but might be reconna par l'Etat, a process that generally requires filling out some paperwork and paying a fee. This registration process assures potential students that the institution really exists and has teachers, but this is not the same as the years-long, rigorous academic accreditation process which involves a self-study, peer review, site visit, detailed examination of the curriculum and instruction, and external quality assurance of a recognized or accredited higher education institution.

Credentials earned from these registered educational businesses generally do not grant access to further education or transfer in public universities in the country of study and generally do not meet requirements for government employment, though that may vary by country. Countries that have a mix of recognized, degree-granting institutions and registered educational business include France, Cameroon, Turks and Caicos, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Saint Kitts & Nevis, the United States, Antigua and Barbuda, Georgia, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Burkina Faso, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Zambia, and others. For these countries and others who have a mix of "registered" and recognized/accredited institutions, it can be very confusing. Transcript Research generally refers to the educational laws of that country and the differences designated by the higher education authorities in the country.

After identifying institutional recognition, we determine if the country also requires programmatic accreditation, or as it may be known in various countries, strictu sensu status, Reconocimiento de Validez Oficial de Estudios, ministerial seal, diplome vise, etc. Programmatic accreditation means that the educational institution must be recognized by the educational authorities, and the program itself must also have approval by the educational authorities.

It is very common for recognized institutions to offer a mix of programs that have academic accreditation and other programs that are not accredited, are in the accreditation review process, or were designed purely for employment purposes, which may be called certificat d'ecole or Titulos Propios.

Programmatic accreditation is an important element of our accreditation review in countries as varied as France, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, Brazil, the Philippines, Georgia, Jamaica, Cote d'Ivoire, Ukraine, Mali, the United Arab Emirates, Nicaragua, Burkina Faso, and many other countries around the world. Africa, Latin America, and Europe in particular typically require programmatic accreditation in addition to recognition of the institution before Transcript Research considers them comparable to a regionally accredited program in the United States.

In addition to this, there are some types of institutions that are recognized by a coalition of government-approved education authorities. Those include regional accrediting authorities such as the Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l'Enseignement Superieur/CAMES (African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education) which oversees private higher education in much of French-speaking Africa and elsewhere since many Francophone African countries are still working on their mechanisms for accrediting or recognizing private higher education institutions and programs. This category also includes the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). Transcript Research has done the research to confirm that these institutions have been established by or with the formal consent of the educational authorities in their respective regions.

Transcript Research rarely considers "intergovernmental institutions" or institutions established under international law to be comparable to regionally accredited institutions unless they are approved by the higher education authorities of the respective countries where they are located. Transcript Research also does not consider an articulation agreement, partnership, cooperative, or Memorandum of Understanding between an unrecognized and a recognized institution to transfer recognition to the unrecognized institution.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, is not an accrediting body. UNESCO does offer useful educational resources that Transcript Research uses and regularly recommends, including the World Data on Education; the International Bureau of Education and its Country Dossiers; and the World Higher Education Database. These are all excellent tools for researching education systems and educational authorities, though we do not consider them definitive sources for recognition/accreditation information.