What are the types of accreditation?
Regional accreditation boards provide the most recognized form of accreditation. For instance, Harvard and Ohio universities are regionally accredited. Stanford is also regionally accredited. Whenever you come across people asking you whether you have attended an accredited university or not, they generally refer to regionally accredited universities. Hence, regional accreditation is the most preferred form of accreditation.
In the United States, accreditation is gained via independent bodies. This is very different to the European model, where a governmental department grants accreditation. American accreditation is granted via many bodies, some of them regional in scope, some national. Typically, regional accreditation focuses on non-profit, academic institutions. National accreditation focuses on for-profit, career-oriented schools that may offer technical or career programs. There are also accreditation agencies that focus specifically on theological or religious schools.
