The Importance of Accreditation in Education 

University accreditation started with the expansion of education in the 19th Century and the need to regulate, standardize, and vouch for the credibility of any given institution’s offering. Accreditation allowed for some sense of expectations and standards and, in doing so, harmonized educational practices across different schools, colleges, and universities.  

Today, accreditation is a staple of quality control at the whole education system analysis and national and international levels.  

A narrow approach to the exercise will view it primarily as a bureaucratic activity in compliance where heaps of documentation are amassed and scrutinized—as if the day-to-day reality of learning could be ascertained through such a cornucopia of paperwork. A more expansive view will undertake it as an opportunity to examine the extent to which the institution’s values and identity are mirrored in its policies, systems, processes, and, most importantly, its culture. Statements and words mean little if they are not lived on the ground. Accreditation allows us to take a bird’s eye view of our institutions while chunking that vision down to the most detailed operations that take place in the working environment. There should be congruence and alignment, coherence, and cogency throughout the ecosystem of the university, school, or college, from the smallest specific and contextually defined decision right up to the most general, overarching, and all-embracing vision. 

Accreditation is also a valuable experience in auditing whereby a fresh pair of eyes from the outside can look in on the way things are done and give useful feedback to constituencies, including through tough feedback and elicited areas for improvement. Ultimately, it is a type of assessment protocol and has a pedagogical impact: much learning takes place during accreditation, allowing for reflection, self-reckoning, and, ultimately, growth. 

As of February 2025, University of the People is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), a respected regional accrediting body. This regional accreditation was earned thanks to the hard work of our faculty, staff, learners, and leadership. Nationally, UoPeople is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Being both regionally and nationally accredited means UoPeople students benefit from greater recognition of their degrees by employers and other institutions, making it easier to transfer credits or pursue advanced degrees. Apply now!