What is the value of institutional accreditation?
For members of the public and especially prospective students of an institution the institutional accreditation provided by the North Central Association means that the accredited institution has been found to meet the Commission’s requirements and criteria and that there are reasonable grounds for believing that it will continue to meet them. Reaching this conclusion requires that an institution open itself to outside examination conducted by qualified persons using accepted criteria. For the accredited institution, the process of accreditation provides an opportunity for critical self-analysis leading to improvement in quality and for consultation and advice from persons from other institutions. Thus accreditation provides public certification of acceptable institutional quality and an opportunity and incentive for institutional self-improvement.
