How does an agency become recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education?
The U.S. Department of Education is required to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that it considers to be reliable authorities as to whether a school meets standards of quality education. Agencies that want to be recognized apply for recognition and indicate the scope of accreditation that they are applying for. This can include geographic scope (national or a list of states), type of institution such vocational, distance education, etc. and particular fields of study. The agency must provide information about their accreditation standards, policies and procedures and financial statements, among many other topics. Agencies can function as an accrediting agency before being granted recognition and generally need to have at least two years experience functioning as an agency before they will be recognized. They have to apply for renewal of accreditation each time their recognition period is ending or if they are requesting an expansion in scope. Why are there s
