An Overview of Accreditation of Higher Education in the United States. CRS Report R43826, Version 12. Updated
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| Title: | An Overview of Accreditation of Higher Education in the United States. CRS Report R43826, Version 12. Updated |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Alexandra Hegji, Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service (CRS) |
| Source: | Congressional Research Service. 2024. |
| Availability: | Congressional Research Service. Web site: https://crsreports.congress.gov/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Intended Audience: | Policymakers |
| Document Type: | Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, Higher Education, Accreditation (Institutions), Educational History, Government Role, Federal Government, Public Agencies, Quality Assurance |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: | Higher Education Act Title IV |
| Abstract: | The federal government provides varying types of support to postsecondary students and schools, including student financial assistance (e.g., Pell Grants and Direct Loans) authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Postsecondary schools seeking to participate in these federal programs must meet a variety of requirements, including being accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) as a reliable authority on the quality of the education being offered. The United States does not have a centralized authority exercising singular national control over postsecondary educational institutions. Consequently, the character and quality of postsecondary schools and their programs can vary widely. The role of accreditation in higher education is to serve as a marker of a level of acceptable quality across the wide array of postsecondary schools and educational programs. The accreditation process is voluntary and educational institutions or programs must request it. While ED-recognized accrediting agencies' review processes are guided in part by federal requirements, specific procedures for reviews are adopted by the individual agencies and vary among them. This report provides an overview of accreditation of postsecondary education in the United States, including its role in the HEA Title IV program integrity triad. It begins with a brief history of accreditation's historical role and purpose in higher education. It then describes the organization of accrediting agencies and the accreditation process. Finally, it discusses the federal role in accreditation. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | ED657637 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED657637 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: An Overview of Accreditation of Higher Education in the United States. CRS Report R43826, Version 12. Updated – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alexandra+Hegji%22">Alexandra Hegji</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Library+of+Congress%2C+Congressional+Research+Service+%28CRS%29%22">Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service (CRS)</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Congressional+Research+Service%22"><i>Congressional Research Service</i></searchLink>. 2024. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Congressional Research Service. Web site: https://crsreports.congress.gov/ – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: N – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 19 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2024 – Name: Audience Label: Intended Audience Group: Audnce Data: Policymakers – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Descriptive – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Legislation%22">Educational Legislation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Federal+Legislation%22">Federal Legislation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Accreditation+%28Institutions%29%22">Accreditation (Institutions)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+History%22">Educational History</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Government+Role%22">Government Role</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Federal+Government%22">Federal Government</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Agencies%22">Public Agencies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quality+Assurance%22">Quality Assurance</searchLink> – Name: SubjectThesaurus Label: Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Higher+Education+Act+Title+IV%22">Higher Education Act Title IV</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The federal government provides varying types of support to postsecondary students and schools, including student financial assistance (e.g., Pell Grants and Direct Loans) authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Postsecondary schools seeking to participate in these federal programs must meet a variety of requirements, including being accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) as a reliable authority on the quality of the education being offered. The United States does not have a centralized authority exercising singular national control over postsecondary educational institutions. Consequently, the character and quality of postsecondary schools and their programs can vary widely. The role of accreditation in higher education is to serve as a marker of a level of acceptable quality across the wide array of postsecondary schools and educational programs. The accreditation process is voluntary and educational institutions or programs must request it. While ED-recognized accrediting agencies' review processes are guided in part by federal requirements, specific procedures for reviews are adopted by the individual agencies and vary among them. This report provides an overview of accreditation of postsecondary education in the United States, including its role in the HEA Title IV program integrity triad. It begins with a brief history of accreditation's historical role and purpose in higher education. It then describes the organization of accrediting agencies and the accreditation process. Finally, it discusses the federal role in accreditation. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: ERIC – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2024 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED657637 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 19 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Educational Legislation Type: general – SubjectFull: Federal Legislation Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Accreditation (Institutions) Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational History Type: general – SubjectFull: Government Role Type: general – SubjectFull: Federal Government Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Agencies Type: general – SubjectFull: Quality Assurance Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher Education Act Title IV Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: An Overview of Accreditation of Higher Education in the United States. CRS Report R43826, Version 12. Updated Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service (CRS) – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Alexandra Hegji IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 12 M: 04 Type: published Y: 2024 Titles: – TitleFull: Congressional Research Service Type: main |
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