US Campus
Accreditation tells us whether a particular university we seek admission in is an authentic institution that meets or exceeds the minimum standards set by the government. It helps students make sure that the institution they are applying into is not shady and their investment in the degree would not be wasted. Moreover, when students graduate and start their job search, employers are also interested in knowing which institution the student received their degree from. There have been incidents all over the world where students and parents ended up being duped by educational institutions that did not have a standing and were eventually closed down by the government. Hence, as a student, it is your responsibility to find out more about the US university or college you are applying in.
There are two ways that you can find out if the institution you are applying in is accredited. This Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website maintains data on US colleges/universities that are certified to enroll international students in F1 or M1 categories. On the website, there is an option to download a list of the certified institutions. Alternatively, a student can search an institution by name, city, state/territory, zip code, visa type and education type. Institutions can also be searched through an interactive US map on the site that lets the visitor select a particular state and find certified institutions in that state.
Another way to find authentic institutions is to visit the CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) website. CHEA is an American association of degree granting colleges and universities that recognizes accrediting organizations. Accredited institutions can be browsed through the available directories or searched by institution name, location, state, city, accrediting organization and accreditor type.
In the final analysis, never follow your friends blindly while applying in US colleges or universities. Always make sure the institution you are applying in is an accredited institution and is certified to enroll international students.
