Accreditation

The American Institute for Paralegal Studies, Inc. has been continuously accredited since 1981.  Our accrediting agency is ACCET, the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training.  ACCET is a national accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 

ACCET's address is:
1722 N. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-955-1113
http://www.accet.org

What does "recognition" mean?

To be a recognized accrediting body, an agency must go through a separate review process by the Office of Postsecondary Education, a section of the U.S. Department of Education. Recognition is granted for a maximum period of five years. 

You may be familiar with the regional accrediting bodies which accredit colleges and universities.  The regional and national accrediting bodies go through the identical recognition process with the federal government.

The article posted here by Roger Williams, Executive Director of ACCET, gives an overview of the importance of school accreditation, and why individuals looking to advance their education should expect nothing less than a school which is accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Importance of Accreditation
Author: Roger J. Williams
Executive Director
Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training
(ACCET)

In the USA, accreditation holds a prominent position within the range of resources available to students, employers, government and the general public in identifying quality education and training programs and providers. Accreditation serves to both evaluate and improve the quality of such programs through the establishment and publication of definitive standards, along with a reliable process for their application in evaluating institutions which voluntarily apply to seek accredited status.

There are a number of important and unique characteristics that define the operation of accrediting agencies officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as "reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education they accredit." They are non-profit corporations, privately funded and, therefore, independent of government control, which publish validated standards that address all essential aspects of a school, and utilize a peer review cadre of professionals, both for on-site evaluation visits and the Accrediting Commission, the latter of which shoulders the responsibility of granting or denying accredited status. In addition to the oversight of these processes by the Department of Education, more and more agencies are looking at international affiliations to diversify and strengthen their roles, in at least one agency's case by achieving ISO 9001 certification. Much information about the specifics of accreditation standards and practices, in addition to school directories, can be located on the web (typically found by the acronym dot org, e.g. www.accet.org) and the U.S. Department of Education maintains a site that lists all of the officially recognized agencies http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html?src=qc

In addition to the overall evaluation and improvement of the quality of education and training, accreditation has some specific purposes and functions pertinent to international students interested in continuing their education in the USA. While this country holds great allure as a symbol of freedom and free enterprise, access to its shores for extended educational purposes requires a visa, for which the Immigration and Naturalization Services authorizes schools, accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, to process the forms to make application by enrollees. Further, accrediting agencies typically have cancellation and refund polices that offer specific elements of protection for students, in addition to an independently administered complaint resolution process that provides students a fair hearing on the merits.

Accreditation is, at its best, a means by which good schools and good practices are promoted, while students' best interests and educational goals are protected. In a free enterprise system, those institutions who voluntarily commit themselves to the expense and effort of a quality-oriented, rigorous, third-party evaluation to gain and maintain accredited status are making a statement worth listening.

To read how accrediting bodies come to be recognized.  Please visit: 
http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/
accreditation_pg3.html#Recognition

ACCET is a national accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. To view ACCET's listing under the U.S. Department of Education's web site, please visit:
http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg8.html

The direct link to ACCET's home page is:  http://www.accet.org

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