accreditors
Official quality validators
Accreditors are organizations or bodies that evaluate and certify whether institutions—typically schools, universities, or professional programs—meet established standards of quality.
In the United States, accreditors play a gatekeeping role in higher education, as federal student aid flows only to institutions they approve.
The college lost its accreditors and had to close.
Critics sometimes argue that accreditors are too slow to act against failing schools or too cozy with the institutions they oversee.
Attestation of qualification
- approvalFavorable opinion given
- endorsementFormal expression of support
- recognitionPerceiving something as known
- sanctionApproval or punitive measure
license · charter · designation · authorization · legitimacy · official status · eligibility · qualification
Formal evaluation of worth
- reviewCritical written assessment
- inspectionFormal assessment of condition
- site visitsIn-person location assessments
- peer reviewExpert evaluation before publication
monitoring · audit · verification · validation · compliance · benchmarking · metrics · criteria
Institutions granting advanced degrees
- collegesHigher learning institutions
- institutionsEstablished organizations or practices
- programsCoded instructions for computers
- degreesUnits of measurement
diplomas · curriculum · faculty · courses · academic · higher education · professional schools · vocational
Relating to an area
- nationalOf a country
- specializedAdapted for particular function
- programmaticExecuted via software logic
- institutionalOf formal establishments
ABA · commissions · boards · councils · associations · federally recognized · Department of Education
certification
Attestation of qualification
- approvalFavorable opinion given
- endorsementFormal expression of support
- recognitionPerceiving something as known
sanction · license · charter · designation · authorization · legitimacy · official status · eligibility · qualification · renewal
assessment
Formal evaluation of worth
- reviewCritical written assessment
- inspectionFormal assessment of condition
- site visitsIn-person location assessments
peer review · monitoring · audit · verification · validation · compliance · benchmarking · metrics · criteria · requirements
universities
Institutions granting advanced degrees
- collegesHigher learning institutions
- institutionsEstablished organizations or practices
- programsCoded instructions for computers
degrees · diplomas · curriculum · faculty · courses · academic · higher education · professional schools · vocational · training programs
regional
Relating to an area
- nationalOf a country
- specializedAdapted for particular function
- programmaticExecuted via software logic
institutional · ABA · commissions · boards · councils · associations · federally recognized · Department of Education
- campus visitorsparents, alumni, guest speakers, recruiters, donors
accreditorsapplicants
Those seeking acceptance
candidates · schools · programs · petitioners · auditees