How can I investigate whether an institute is authentic and accredited?
Which web-sites or listings can I check?
For instance, say I want to investigate The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
asked May 29, 2020 at 14:08
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Free Database to Verify the Accreditation of any College or University in the World?– NobodyCommented May 29, 2020 at 14:24
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2I would note, of course, that there are some non-reputable "accrediting" agencies. The reputable ones in the US are all registered with the department of education. That is, accrediting agencies should, themselves, be accredited (US). See: ed.gov/accreditation– BuffyCommented May 29, 2020 at 14:51
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1Your question, How do I know that a educational institute is accredited? is a good question. However, Which web-sites or listings to check? is a shopping question. Please consider removing it. Also, there are similar questions on this site such as academia.stackexchange.com/questions/82955/…– Richard EricksonCommented May 29, 2020 at 15:42
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To add to @Buffy's comment: see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accreditation_mill– KimballCommented May 29, 2020 at 16:12
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Note that if you see a claim that an institution US is accredited by a particular agency it is always best to go to the website of that agency to verify that the institution is (still) accredited. Furthermore, if you're not familiar with the accrediting agency you should check to see whether the accreditor is recognized by the US Department of Education.– Brian BorchersCommented May 29, 2020 at 17:34
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1 Answer
Googling 'The Chicago School accreditation' leads to their accreditation page. There it is stated that
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) since 2011. To learn more about WSCUC, please see their contact information below. Click here to view our Statement of Accreditation Status
You can then go to the WASC list of institutions and find The Chicago School listed there.
Having tried several other semi-random institutions, googling '[name] accreditation' usually results in a page on their site listing who accredits them. A second google search will get to that accreditation agency's list of schools that it accredits if you want to double check.
A further complication is that there may be multiple accreditation organizations involved, some for specific departments or schools within a university. For example, Princeton University is, according their Office of Institutional Research, accredited through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In addition, the Engineering School is accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. So, you may need to dig deeper to discover if a particular major, program, or department is accredited appropriately for what you need.
Although, one should be aware of just what accreditation means. Fortunately, what was horrendously prescriptive in the 1980s (particularly in engineering) has become more holistic in approach and focused on outcomes, not specific courses with a specific syllabus.
answered May 29, 2020 at 14:29
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3@Buffy - well, it is basically a description of how to google things... Commented May 29, 2020 at 14:46
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Good answer. Also, consider adding in that specific programs are often accredited in addition to the university-level accreditation. For example, the ACS accredits chemistry programs and Engineering programs often are accredited. Commented May 29, 2020 at 15:46
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1@RichardErickson - yes, an interesting point to add (that I actually was well aware of, just didn't drink enough coffee this morning I guess). Commented May 29, 2020 at 15:48
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1@Buffy - sadly, my thermos from home is now empty and the cafeteria is closed because of Covid... All downhill from here! Commented May 29, 2020 at 16:03