Accreditation is the voluntary, nongovernmental system of evaluation used in North America to protect the public interest and to verify the quality of services rendered by a variety of different types of service organizations and institutions. In the higher education sector, accreditation assures that postsecondary educational institutions and their units, schools, or programs meet appropriate standards of quality and integrity. It also helps institutions and their component units improve the quality of education they offer.
Institutional accreditation evaluates the institution as a whole.
Six regional associations and six national associations restrict their activities to institutions of a particular type. Specialized accreditation evaluates professional and occupational education at the unit or program level. It is conducted by specialized accrediting bodies generally established by national professional organizations in such fields as journalism, law, medicine, social work, and teacher education. Specialized accreditation is both a process and a condition. The process entails the assessment of the program's quality and the continued enhancement of the program's operations through compliance with specified professional standards.