Issue Primers

Accreditation is the process of recognizing that an institution of higher education meets established standards, including a general standard of quality. In the United States, non-governmental organizations recognized by the Secretary of Education conduct a peer-review accreditation process for colleges and universities and their programs. According to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) Accreditor Dashboard released in July 2022, 5,132 institutions of higher education operating 6,512 campuses were accredited. Among those institutions, 14.5 million students receive $110.4 billion in federal student aid per year. Most accredited institutions—3,058 of them—offer predominantly less-than-four-year credentials, while 2,074 offer predominantly four-year degrees and above.