What Is College Accreditation? How to Check If a School Is Legit
Quick answer: Accreditation is the quality review process that determines whether a college is recognized as legitimate. It affects whether employers and other schools will respect your degree—and whether your credits can transfer. If you want a vetted starting point, use Abound’s school search.
How to check a school’s accreditation (in 3 minutes):
- When in doubt, call the registrar/admissions office and ask: “Who is your institutional accreditor, and will my credits transfer to [School Name]?”
- Find the school’s accreditor name on its website (usually “Accreditation” or “About”).
- Verify the accreditor on the U.S. Department of Education database.
- Cross-check it on the CHEA directory.
- If you’re pursuing a licensed field (nursing, teaching, counseling), confirm programmatic accreditation too.
What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is a big fancy word that simply means a quality check. An accredited school has gone through a rigorous check by an authority on education to make sure the school meets their standards and is qualified to teach students the programs they are offering. A degree from an accredited school is valuable. One from an unaccredited school or program is worthless. That’s why it’s so important to check the accreditation status of your school and make sure it fits your needs and expectations before spending your time and money.
Accreditation by these governing bodies gives students, schools, and all interested in the diploma earned from that school, the peace of mind that the program is legitimate and that they’re not being scammed or taken advantage of. It also ensures that the credits you receive from that school are transferable to another school. If your program doesn’t qualify, or is not recognized by the school you transfer to, your credits might not count towards your degree!
Before giving money to an institution, your first step should always be to make sure that it is properly accredited.
Who Decides Which Schools are Accredited?
In the United States, colleges and universities are accredited by independent accrediting organizations that are formally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). These accreditors evaluate institutions on academic quality, governance, financial stability, and student outcomes.
The USDE does not accredit colleges directly. Instead, it reviews and recognizes accrediting agencies that meet federal standards. Colleges must be reviewed by a recognized accreditor on a regular cycle—typically every five to ten years—to maintain their accredited status.
In addition to the USDE, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) also recognizes legitimate accrediting bodies and maintains a public directory. Together, these organizations provide the most reliable way to verify whether a school’s accreditation is legitimate.
If a college or university is not listed in the USDE or CHEA databases, students should treat that as a serious warning sign.
Regional versus National Accreditation
Accreditation is often discussed in terms of “regional” and “national,” but for today’s students, the most important distinction is whether a school is institutionally accredited by a legitimate accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Historically, regional accreditation was considered the gold standard, while national accreditation was more common among career, vocational, and distance-focused institutions. Over time, many accrediting agencies have merged or restructured, and transfer policies are now determined primarily by the receiving institution—not geography.
What matters most for students is this: credits from an institutionally accredited college are far more likely to be accepted by other colleges and respected by employers than credits from an unaccredited institution. However, credit transfer is never guaranteed and is always evaluated by the school you plan to attend next.
Before enrolling, students should confirm both the school’s accreditation status and how that accreditation aligns with their academic and career goals—especially if they expect to transfer credits or pursue graduate study.
How to Verify a College’s Accreditation
The safest way to confirm a school’s accreditation is to verify it directly through official government-recognized databases. Students should never rely solely on a school’s marketing materials or website claims.
To verify accreditation:
- Search the school in the U.S. Department of Education’s accredited institutions database.
- Confirm the accreditor is recognized in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) directory.
- If a school lists an accreditor that does not appear in either database, proceed with extreme caution.
- You can also start with Abound’s school search, where all listed institutions are accredited and vetted.
Accreditation claims that cannot be independently verified are one of the most common red flags associated with diploma mills and fraudulent programs.
Programmatic Accreditation for Licensed Careers
Institutional accreditation applies to the college or university as a whole. However, in some fields—particularly those that lead to professional licensure—individual academic programs may also require specialized accreditation.
Fields that commonly require programmatic accreditation include nursing, teaching, counseling, engineering, business, and healthcare-related professions. Graduating from a program without the appropriate accreditation may prevent students from qualifying for licensure exams or meeting employer requirements.
If you are pursuing a licensed or regulated career, confirm both the school’s institutional accreditation and any program-specific accreditation required for your field or state before enrolling.
Accreditation FAQs
Short version: Always verify accreditation through official databases (USDE + CHEA). If a school’s accreditor doesn’t appear there, treat it as a red flag.
Yes. Federal financial aid generally requires that a school be accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If a school isn’t properly accredited, you could lose access to grants, loans, and employer tuition benefits.
Sometimes—but it depends on the receiving institution. Accreditation improves the likelihood that credits will transfer, but transfer decisions are always made by the school you plan to attend next. If transferring is important to you, confirm policies before enrolling.
Common red flags include: no accreditor listed, an accreditor that does not appear in the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA databases, pressure to enroll immediately, vague program details, and promises of a degree “fast” with little or no coursework.
Institutional accreditation applies to the college or university as a whole. Programmatic accreditation applies to specific programs—often required for licensed fields like nursing, teaching, counseling, engineering, and some healthcare professions.
You can verify accreditation by searching the school in the U.S. Department of Education’s accredited institutions database and confirming the accreditor in the CHEA directory. If the school or accreditor does not appear in either, proceed with caution.
Yes. Online programs can be fully accredited in the same way as in-person programs. What matters is the institution’s accreditation status—not whether classes are delivered online or on campus.
Abound: Finish College features only accredited institutions that meet standards for flexibility, affordability, and student support. You can explore vetted options using our school search or browse lists designed for adult learners.
Still choosing a school? Start with Abound’s accredited school search, or browse programs designed for working adults on our Best Colleges for Adults list.
Last updated: January 2026
How Abound Evaluates Colleges for Adult Learners
Abound: Finish College focuses exclusively on colleges and universities that serve adult and non-traditional students. Our content is reviewed by higher education professionals and informed by publicly available data, institutional disclosures, and direct conversations with accredited colleges and universities.
Schools featured on Abound are evaluated for flexibility, academic quality, student support, and outcomes relevant to working adults and degree-completion students.
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