Regional Accreditation
One of the most common questions we get asked is 'Does AJU have plans to seek regional accreditation?'
This is a tough question to address. My gut reaction is 'Why should we?'
The accrediting commission of the Distance Education and Training Council has been approved by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This is the same recognition shared by each of the six regional accreditation associations.
In other words, DETC accreditation is held to the same standards and has been duly approved – so why would we need an additional institutional accreditation? However, many in the market consider regional accreditation to be the gold standard and discount other institutional accreditors (such as DETC) who don’t have regional boundaries. Even though that perception is not based on any rational fact, it is a perception and the impact is that it creates potential issues with transfer of credit between AJU and regionally-accredited schools who have “bought in” to the perception. To fight this perception, many nationally accredited schools are currently seeking to be regionally accredited; AJU is not.
The primary reason that AJU has chosen not to seek accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is the simple fact that process to gain this accreditation would place a limit on our ability to grow. Let me explain. Candidates for SACS accreditation can not add any new programs during their candidacy – which typically lasts for four years. In the next four years, AJU plans on aggressively expanding our programs as our Sponsored Tuition program becomes the industry standard and we look to serve a greater audience by offering the most sought-after degree programs. If we were to apply for SACS and our candidacy was approved, we would have to put this expansion on hold.
A second option would be to move to another region, one which does allow schools to expand their offerings during candidacy. We don’t see this as viable - moving would create its own set of problems and thus also limit our ability to grow - plus, we are very proud of our Alabama roots!
Finally, let's return to my initial gut feeling. In our opinion, accreditation of distance education is best achieved through the accrediting commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. In fact, as the market perception changes, we are seeing more regionally-accredited schools going to the DETC for review of their own distance-ed programs. Who better to accredit distance education than the commission which has over 80 years serving in that role? It's apparent that DETC accreditation is fast becoming the gold standard of modern education; since we are already a member, why change?
At AJU, we already know how to provide the highest quality education at the lowest possible price. Armed with DETC accreditation, we truly can Take Education Anywhere - nationally, globally - with no regional restrictions.
Happy Studying,
Don
This is a tough question to address. My gut reaction is 'Why should we?'
The accrediting commission of the Distance Education and Training Council has been approved by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This is the same recognition shared by each of the six regional accreditation associations.
In other words, DETC accreditation is held to the same standards and has been duly approved – so why would we need an additional institutional accreditation? However, many in the market consider regional accreditation to be the gold standard and discount other institutional accreditors (such as DETC) who don’t have regional boundaries. Even though that perception is not based on any rational fact, it is a perception and the impact is that it creates potential issues with transfer of credit between AJU and regionally-accredited schools who have “bought in” to the perception. To fight this perception, many nationally accredited schools are currently seeking to be regionally accredited; AJU is not.
The primary reason that AJU has chosen not to seek accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is the simple fact that process to gain this accreditation would place a limit on our ability to grow. Let me explain. Candidates for SACS accreditation can not add any new programs during their candidacy – which typically lasts for four years. In the next four years, AJU plans on aggressively expanding our programs as our Sponsored Tuition program becomes the industry standard and we look to serve a greater audience by offering the most sought-after degree programs. If we were to apply for SACS and our candidacy was approved, we would have to put this expansion on hold.
A second option would be to move to another region, one which does allow schools to expand their offerings during candidacy. We don’t see this as viable - moving would create its own set of problems and thus also limit our ability to grow - plus, we are very proud of our Alabama roots!
Finally, let's return to my initial gut feeling. In our opinion, accreditation of distance education is best achieved through the accrediting commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. In fact, as the market perception changes, we are seeing more regionally-accredited schools going to the DETC for review of their own distance-ed programs. Who better to accredit distance education than the commission which has over 80 years serving in that role? It's apparent that DETC accreditation is fast becoming the gold standard of modern education; since we are already a member, why change?
At AJU, we already know how to provide the highest quality education at the lowest possible price. Armed with DETC accreditation, we truly can Take Education Anywhere - nationally, globally - with no regional restrictions.
Happy Studying,
Don
Comments