Online mba guide: All you need to know about History of Accreditation

The History of Accreditation

Accreditation in the United States was first developed as a means to protect public health and safety and to better serve the public interest. Communities were growing quickly, and quality standards needed to be set for organizations offering public needs, such as health care and education. In the 1800′s, higher education was gaining ground in the United States, but there were few standards in place to determine the educational quality of an institution and distinguish one school from the next. Accreditation of colleges and universities first evolved because both students and school officials needed a process to define which schools met traditionally-held standards of educational quality. There was also a growing need to develop national standards for the transfer of credits between foreign institutions and U.S. schools, and this was another major catalyst to the beginning of accreditation.

Some of the first accrediting agencies in the country were regional accrediting organizations that formed in the 1880′s. Accreditation then began to evolve along with the growth of peer-review between institutions and accrediting agencies, the advancement of regulation, and legislation by the state and federal governments. The development of regional standards in quality was the first natural step in the progression of accreditation. Later, national accreditation organizations were developed in order to set up minimum standards of quality throughout the country.

School
Rank
Accept. Rate
Avg.
Under-grad GPA
Avg. GMAT
Avg. Class size
3yr Grad Rate
Tuition
(in-state)
Tuition
(out-state)
Arizona State University 9 64% 3.2 592 50 92% $1435 $1435
Arkansas State University 1 76% 3.7 602 26 94% $587 $587
Ashland University N/A 3 N/A 21 56% $635 $635
Auburn University 11 70% 3.4 572 32 61% $850 $850
Ball State University 5 78% 3.4 571 25 57% $394 $590
Baylor University 33 68% 3.1 613 25 N/A $1027 $1027
Boise State University 64 93% 3.4 539 25 N/A $750 $750
California State University N/A 47% 3.3 575 15 N/A $254 $626
Carnegie Mellon University N/A 64% 3.3 658 29 N/A $1920 $1920
Central Michigan University 39 46% 3.2 538 24 70% $600 $600
City University of Seattle N/A 41% N/A N/A 10 77% $678 $678
Clarion University of Pennsylvania 5 95% 3.4 456 27 60% $483 $522
Clarkson University 21 61% 3 533 12 87% $1100 $1100
Cleveland State University 34 87% 3.2 452 20 N/A $569 $1074
Columbus State University 12 61% 3.1 483 4 95% $739 $739
Creighton University N/A 60% 3.2 540 15 N/A $1025 $1025
DeSales University 10 87% 3.3 N/A 14 75% $815 $815
Drexel University 31 89% 3.1 488 23 80% $1255 $1255
East Carolina University 61 80% 3.2 517 28 48% $353 $985
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University 27 74% 3.1 483 15 49% $620 $620
Emporia State University N/A 44% 3.4 N/A 21 N/A $247 $371
Florida Atlantic University 41 68% 3.1 514 28 N/A $800 $800
Florida Institute of Technology N/A 3.1 438 20 47% $896 $896
Florida International University 10 54% 3.3 520 17 82% $1000 $1000
Florida State University 13 64% 3.5 558 25 79% $750 $750
George Washington University 26 69% 3.1 530 50 68% $1690 $1690
Georgia College State University 18 84% 3 526 15 92% $739 $739
Georgia Southern University 46 77% 3.1 500 28 94% $739 $739
Hofstra University 38 86% 3.1 N/A 24 100% $1579 $1579
Indiana University Bloomington 2 83% 3.4 641 32 79% $1300 $1300
James Madison University 16 96% 3.2 506 18 100% $900 $900
Kansas State University N/A 3.4 583 16 N/A $833 $833
Kennesaw State University 45 68% 3.2 590 28 96% $739 $739
Lehigh University 44 81% 3.3 613 23 36% $1075 $1075
Marist College 42 42% 3.3 530 23 47% $780 $780
Mercer University 19 55% 3.2 525 19 N/A $727 $727
Mississippi State University 24 71% 3.3 580 25 48% $426 $426
Missouri State University 15 74% N/A 590 20 70% $1230 $1230
North Carolina State University 24 69% 3.3 598 30 93% $1039 $1659
Northeastern University 58 87% 3.2 N/A 17 44% $1513 $1513
Norwich University N/A 3.1 N/A 9 69% $760 $760
Oklahoma State University 37 92% 3.1 553 29 60% $210 $825
Old Dominion University 36 67% 3.2 566 14 N/A $478 $516
Pennsylvania State University 2 89% 3.3 546 23 97% $1185 $1185
Pepperdine University 7 71% 3.2 565 26 66% $1670 $1670
Portland State University N/A 64% 3.3 548 42 86% $575 $575
Queens University of Charlotte N/A 3 538 22 N/A $990 $990
Robert Morris University 52 34% 3.3 520 17 71% $900 $900
Rochester Institute of Technology 47 66% 3.2 N/A 8 78% $1489 $1489
Rutgers University Camden N/A 3.3 510 32 N/A $1256 $1256
Sam Houston State University 43 78% 3.4 527 29 34% $286 $286
Samford University 60 88% 3.3 547 30 87% $789 $789
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 37 92% 3.2 528 25 34% $483 $493
Southern Illinois University 23 63% 3.3 600 45 85% $854 $854
Stevens Institute of Technology 42 83% 3.1 521 14 N/A $1501 $1501
SUNY Oswego 22 83% 3.3 555 19 71% $600 $1016
Syracuse UniveSrsity 27 77% 3.1 580 16 49% $1443 $1443
Temple University 2 45% 3.4 582 24 97% $1245 $1245
Tennessee Technological University 56 46% 3.3 531 23 52% $447 $706
U Mass – Amherst 53 83% 3.4 597 48 59% $825 $825
U Mass – Lowell 30 90% 3.3 555 27 57% $630 $630
U of C – Colorado Springs N/A 75% 3.3 568 10 50% $763 $801
UNC – Chapel Hill 1 45% 3.2 670 13 94% $1585 $1585
University of Arizona 14 78% 3.3 563 28 N/A $1000 $1000
University of Baltimore 37 83% 3.3 507 25 N/A $824 $824
University of Cincinnati 62 82% 3.3 596 63 N/A $806 $821
University of Delaware 32 72% 3.3 597 20 68% $813 $813
University of Florida 4 54% 3.3 578 43 88% $1113 $1113
University of Houston – Clear Lake 48 43% N/A 525 22 58% $438 $917
University of Houston – Victoria 51 89% N/A 503 21 N/A $322 $730
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign 15 21% 3.4 638 N/A N/A $250 $250
University of Kansas N/A 3.3 568 50 N/A $775 $775
University of Louisiana 49 72% 3.2 564 20 48% $583 $583
University of Maryland College Park 9 68% 3.2 602 17 N/A $1481 $1481
University of Memphis 59 78% 3.2 518 44 52% $596 $841
University of Miami 35 48% 3.5 462 18 N/A $1900 $1900
University of Michigan 63 38% 3.4 587 21 52% $859 $1356
University of Mississippi 15 39% 3.2 583 38 43% $669 $669
University of Nebraska – Lincoln 20 89% 3.4 606 36 38% $600 $600
University of Nevada – Reno 15 79% 3.2 505 31 100% $833 $833
University of New Hampshire N/A 100% 3.4 488 21 47% $800 $880
University of North Dakota N/A 3.4 570 18 63% $360 $360
University of North Texas 20 54% 3.3 538 15 58% $303 $710
University of Scranton N/A 3.2 N/A 15 49% $965 $965
University of South Dakota 57 90% 3.1 518 35 46% $442 $442
University of South Florida 6 47% 3.4 550 26 77% $462 $907
University of Southern California 8 46% 3.2 630 16 N/A $1778 $1778
University of Tennessee 54 88% 3.2 546 18 86% $507 $558
University of Texas – Dallas 3 39% 3.6 616 36 40% $706 $1245
University of Texas – Tyler 25 87% 3.2 456 81 81% $744 $1155
University of Utah 29 68% 3.4 573 36 N/A $1250 $1250
University of West Georgia 55 93% 3.2 438 22 88% $739 $739
University of Wisconsin 4 70% 3.3 501 35 79% $638 $638
Washington State University 7 58% 3.5 568 26 74% $750 $750
West Chester University of Pennsylvania 17 92% 3.4 531 25 60% $483 $493
West Texas A&M University 3 61% 0 540 0 0 $380 $410
West Virginia University 40 89% 3.2 520 28 89% $932 $932
Western Kentucky University 50 95% 3.4 544 14 55% $679 $679

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In 1918, the American Council on Education (ACE) was founded in order to include more schools with different academic programs and improve the effectiveness of the accreditation process. The ACE still focuses on the inclusion of all types of schools in the accreditation process, and membership institutions of the ACE enroll about 80 percent of all college students today.To address the need for national standards, in 1912, 23 private career schools created the National Association of Accredited Commercial Schools, now the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), in order to work together toward the establishment of national education standards. ACICS became one of the first national accrediting bodies in the United States. Today, the organization is one of the most respected national accrediting agencies in the country, and accredits over 800 institutions in the United States and abroad, totalling a student population of around 700,000, according to Acics.org.

History of Accreditation
History of Accreditation

During the 30′s, accreditation became common in the United States and was mainly organized and overseen by the accrediting agencies themselves. Then, when the GI Bill was developed at the end of World War II, the government began a program that provided funding for the education of military veterans. Because of this, the federal government started to depend on accreditation to determine which schools should receive funding. Much of the funding for veterans would be applied to education in a particular trade or professional area, so there was a sudden need for clear pictures as to which accrediting agencies could evaluate professional and specialized schools on a national scale. According to Acics.org, new accrediting bodies were formed in order to create national standards for specialized and professional educational programs. Accrediting agencies like the National Commission on Accrediting (NCA) and the Federation of Regional Accrediting Commissions of Higher Education (FRACHE) were formed to compensate for this need.

In 1952, near the end of the Korean War, the government passed another measure to provide veterans with educational funding. With the Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act, Congress enacted an educational assistance program similar to the GI Bill and also established a requirement that the U.S. Secretary of Education publishes a list of recognized accreditation agencies. This fueled the need for the development of COPA, which would become CHEA, as an organization that could provide a comprehensive assessment of the quality of all accreditation agencies.

In 1996, COPA was replaced by the Council for Higher Education (CHEA). Today, CHEA serves as a primary authority to the Congress and Department of Education on higher education accreditation and the quality of accrediting agencies. This means that, if CHEA does not approve the standards and methodology of an accrediting agency, that agency will not be published on the U.S. Department of Education’s list of recognized agencies. CHEA also serves as a source to the general public and international audiences on anything related to accreditation in the U.S.

According to CHEA At a Glance (pdf), published by the organization, CHEA is the largest education membership organization in the United States, and includes approximately 3,000 colleges and universities. CHEA members also include sixty institutional and specialized accrediting agencies. The organization is overseen by a board of college and university presidents, institutional representatives and members of the public. CHEA serves as a national resource on facts and current issues in accreditation quality assurance and provides a forum for discussion about emerging topics in accreditation. The organization often enacts projects centred on strengthening the effectiveness of accreditation to better serve the public interest and also mediates disputes between member organizations and institutions. CHEA keeps an up to date database of all of its accredited institutions and programs.

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