ABSTRACT
Most not-for-profit institutions that qualify for federal student aid funding and award academic credentials meant for wide acceptance do so by virtue of regional accreditation. Some prominent for-profit institutions also are regionally accredited. The fact is that regional accreditation, the first and still the most influential form of accreditation, remains the principal guarantor of educational quality in the United States and a major force for institutional improvement. For all regional accrediting organizations, as Judith Eaton has memorably said, accreditation “is a trust-based, standards-based, evidence-based, judgment-based, peer-based process”. All on-site reviews conclude with a report by the visiting team offering recommendations for the accrediting organization to consider. Institutional responses to recommendations made in a commission action letter or earlier interim report are evaluated by an interim report committee, and a retention and graduation committee focuses on institutional performance in these areas.
