Established in 1965, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) evaluates and accredits post-secondary education institutions. A privately owned, non-profit organization, ACCSC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and is based in Arlington, Virginia.
ACCSC typically accredits vocational and technical schools, which provide students with technical and occupational training. The ACCSC’s accrediting authority is restricted to schools which provide non-degree training programs, or degree programs with a specific vocational focus.
Roughly 800 schools, collectively serving more than 250,000 students, are accredited by ACCSC.
Transfer of Credits
ACCSC is a national accrediting agency, which differs from regional accrediting agencies in several important ways. The majority of traditional 4-year universities and colleges are regionally accredited. Regionally accredited institutions do not always accept transfer credits from nationally accredited institutions. If you are a student of an ACCSC accredited institution planning to transfer to a regionally accredited institution, it is important to verify whether or not the receiving institution will accept your transfer credits beforehand.
Credit transfers are often determined by other factors, such as residency requirements, state policies, appropriateness of course content, and academic level.
Standards of Accreditation
The ACCSC has established a framework of accountability by which to evaluate institutions. This framework is designed to optimize the quality of education offered by member institutions, and to provide students with the best possible training for their chosen career path.
The ACCSC evaluates an institution’s management and administration, its requirements for distance education programs, and its faculty’s qualifications. It also evaluates the institution’s student recruiting and advertising, its policies and practices regarding admissions, and its students services and achievements.
Accredited Schools and Colleges
A full list of the institutions accredited by ACCSC (roughly 800 in number) can be found at www.accsc.org/Directory/index.aspx. This list also details which date the institution was accredited, and when their accreditation is due to be renewed.
See also:
– Accreditation in Higher Education
Regional Accreditors:
– Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)
– North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HLC)
– Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities (NWCCU)
– Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
– Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges
National Accreditors
– Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
– Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
– Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)
– Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
– Council on Occupational Education (COE)