Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the US and its Cross ...

Dr. Eduardo M. Ochoa 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education 

United States Department of Education

Overview of Remarks 

• The higher education and quality assurance 

systems in the US 

• Governmental recognition of accrediting agencies 

• Non-Governmental recognition of accrediting 

agencies 

• Cross-border quality assurance and two models of 

cooperation 

• Policy considerations

Decentralized Diverse System 

• No Federal Ministry of Education – US Constitution 

gives States authority over education 

• Over 6,700 institutions 

Private for-Profit non-degree 

21.0% 

Private not-for-Profit non-degree 

Public non-degree 

1.2% 

3.3% 

Private for-Profit degree-granting 

Private not-for-Profit degree-granting 

Public degree-granting 

22.7% 

25.6% 

26.2%

Quality Assurance via Accreditation 

• Origins in late 19 th and early 20 th centuries 

• Non-governmental purposes 

• Voluntary membership organizations 

• Standards developed by members 

• Peer review 

• Mission-based evaluation 

• Goals: 

• Basic level of quality 

• Improvement

Types of Accrediting Agencies 

• Institutional 

• Regional – traditional/primarily not-for-profit 

• National career/technical – for profit 

• Religious 

• Specialized or Programmatic 

• Single profession or discipline 

• State – NY State Board of Regents and state agencies 

for approval of postsecondary vocational programs and 

nursing programs

Examples of Agency Types 

• Regional accrediting 

agencies 

• New England Association 

of Schools and Colleges 

• Southern Association of 

Colleges and Schools 

• Western Association of 

Schools and Colleges – 

senior and junior 

• North Central Association 

Higher Learning 

Commission 

• Northwest Commission on 

Colleges and Universities 

• National accrediting 

agencies 

• Accrediting Commission 

of Career Schools and 

Colleges 

• Accrediting Council for 

Independent Colleges and 

Schools 

• Distance Education and 

Training Council 

• Council on Occupational 

Education 

• Accrediting Board of 

Health Education Schools

Examples of Agency Types 

• Programmatic 

• National League for 

Nursing Accrediting 

Commission 

• American Psychological 

Association 

• Liaison Committee on 

Medical Education 

• National Council for 

Accreditation of Teacher 


• Religious 

• Association for Biblical 

Higher Education 

• Association of 

Advanced Rabbinical 

and Talmudic Schools 

• Association of 

Theological Schools 

• Transnational 

Association of Christian 

Colleges and Schools

Frequency of Reviews 

• Time between comprehensive reviews varies from 

3 to 10 years 

• Full self study 

• Site team visit of 2-5 days 

• Follow up reviews/reports/visits 

• Mid-cycle reviews 

• Annual reporting 

• Substantive change applications

Types of Standards 

• Vocational accreditors generally prescriptive 

• Require reporting of retention, graduation and job 

placement rates 

• If applicable, establish benchmarks for licensure 

passage rates 

• May specify curriculum 

• Regional accrediting agencies more general 

• Missions of institutions that are regionally 

accredited differ significantly 

• Measures of student achievement more complex – 

qualitative as well as quantitative

Federal Oversight 

• Secretary of Education recognizes accrediting 

agencies as “reliable authorities regarding the 

quality of the education or training provided by 

the institutions and programs they accredit.” 

• Only agencies that have a “federal link” can apply 

for recognition 

• Congress has specified criteria by which agencies 

will be evaluated; further elaborated through 

regulations 

• Reviewed at least every five years

Recognition Review Process 

• Accreditation staff review and analyze agency 

petitions; make a recommendation to Assistant 

Secretary on the recognition of each agency 

• Agency petitions and staff analyses are provided to an 

external advisory committee comprised of individuals 

appointed by the House, Senate, and Secretary of 


• Public hearing of the committee attended by staff and 

agency representatives 

• Committee makes its recommendation to the 

Assistant Secretary on the recognition of each agency

Scope of Recognition 

• Each agency is recognized for a range of accrediting 

activities 

• Secretarial recognition is limited to an agency’s 

accreditation of U.S. institutions 

• Some agencies do accredit non-U.S. institutions 

• Regional agencies have adopted Principles of Good 

Practice in Overseas International Education 

Programs for Non-U.S. Nationals 

http://cihe.neasc.org/downloads/POLICIES/Pp47_Overseas_ 

programs_for_non-US_Nationals.pdf

Student Achievement 

• Agencies are required to have standards that address 

an institution’s or program’s success with respect to 

student achievement in relation to mission 

• Accrediting agencies provide resources and training on 

effectively assessing student achievement – slowly 

growing expertise in higher education community 

• Controversy around making comparisons across 

institutions and using standardized assessments 

• Voluntary System of Accountability – supported by a 

grant from the Department of Education 

http://www.collegeportraits.org/

Non-Governmental Recognition 

• Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) 

also recognizes accrediting agencies 

• A basic eligibility requirement is that a majority of the 

institutions and programs accredited by the agency 

grant higher education degrees 

• Because of different eligibility requirements, agencies 

may be recognized by the Secretary, by CHEA, or by 

both entities 

• CHEA’s scope of recognition may include non-US 

institutions 

http://www.chea.org/pdf/CHEA_USDE_AllAccred.pdf

Cross-Border Quality Assurance 

• CHEA has developed resources and information on 

international quality assurance including -- 

• A directory of quality assurance agencies and 

accreditation bodies in 175 countries 

• Glossary of key terms in quality assurance 

• Statements on quality assurance across borders 

• Principles for US Accreditors Working Internationally: 

Accreditation of non-US Institutions and Programs 

http://www.chea.org/default.asp?link=6

International Engineering Alliance 

• Six international agreements governing mutual 

recognition of engineering qualifications and 

professional competence 

• Three agreements cover mutual recognition in respect of 

tertiary-level qualifications in engineering 

• Three agreements cover recognition of equivalence at 

the practicing engineer level i.e. it is individual people, 

not qualifications that are seen to meet the benchmark 

standard. One is the APEC Engineer. 

• 19 countries are involved to some extent, including 7 

APEC countries

Comparability of Medical Degree 

• Committee appointed by Secretary of Education 

charged with determining whether standards of 

accreditation used by another economy to accredit 

medical schools is comparable to the standards of 

accreditation applied to M.D. programs in the U.S. 

• Accreditation staff do initial review/analysis of each 

application. 

• U.S. students attending medical schools in comparable 

countries may get federal student loans. 

• 24 countries have been determined to be comparable 

(five are APEC countries); six more plan to apply

Policy Questions 

• US Accreditation—Benchmark or Model? 

• Harmonizing Credentials—Applicability of EU Model 

• Student Mobility and Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the US and its Cross ...

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