School Accreditation: Why It Matters for International Students

One of the most important — and most commonly overlooked — factors in choosing a US school is accreditation. Attending an unaccredited or poorly accredited institution can invalidate your degree, waste your money, and create serious problems with your visa.

What Is Accreditation?

Accreditation is a quality assurance process in which independent organizations evaluate whether a college or university meets minimum standards of academic quality. When a school is accredited, it means that an outside body has reviewed the institution's faculty, curriculum, student services, finances, and governance, and has determined that it meets established standards.

Unlike in many countries, the US federal government does not directly run or accredit universities. Instead, the government recognizes a set of private accrediting organizations that are authorized to evaluate institutions.

Regional vs. National Accreditation

Regional accreditation is the gold standard. There are seven regional accrediting bodies, and they accredit the most respected universities, colleges, and community colleges in the country. Credits from regionally accredited institutions transfer freely between accredited schools. Your degree from a regionally accredited institution will be recognized by employers and graduate programs worldwide.

National accreditation is a different category, typically used by for-profit vocational and trade schools. National accreditation is considered less rigorous. Credits from nationally accredited schools often do NOT transfer to regionally accredited universities, and some employers and graduate programs may not recognize nationally accredited degrees.

As an international student, you should generally only attend regionally accredited institutions.

Why It Matters for Your Visa

To sponsor an F-1 student visa, a school must be certified by the US government's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). A school that loses its accreditation will likely also lose its SEVP certification, leaving its international students without a legal basis to remain in the US.

How to Verify Accreditation

  1. Ask the school directly which accrediting body has accredited it
  2. Verify the claim on the accrediting body's official website
  3. Check the US Department of Education's database of accredited institutions at the Department of Education's official website
  4. Check the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) database at chea.org

Beware of diploma mills — fraudulent institutions that sell degrees without providing real education. If a school's accreditation comes from a body you cannot verify through official government or CHEA databases, consider it a serious warning sign.