| If you ask me what is the one most important fact to | | | | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, |
| look for in a university while planning to study abroad. | | | | Rhode Island, Vermont, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the |
| 'Accreditation' is my answer, Hands down! | | | | Middle East. |
| Accreditation is now-a-days 'the most important' word | | | | North Central Association of Schools and Colleges |
| while planning to apply for schools. Earlier I was of the | | | | (NCA)Provides Accreditation to schools in- |
| view that scholarship providing schools or schools in big | | | | Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, |
| cities are the best options but I have started believing | | | | Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Navajo Nation, |
| that, for a 2 year scholarship or for the sake of living in | | | | Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, |
| a big town, no one should or can afford to put the | | | | South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. |
| entire career in jeopardy. Accreditation decides your | | | | Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges |
| career and life in a major way when you are on a | | | | (MSA)Provides Accreditation to schools in- |
| foreign soil. A friend of mine who was junior to me in | | | | Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, |
| medical school went to a non- accredited school in UK. | | | | New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin |
| After his graduation he was not considered for any | | | | Islands, Central America, Europe, and the Middle East. |
| jobs or higher study options. On the contrary, his | | | | Southern Association of Schools and Colleges |
| classmates who were of British origin got jobs | | | | (SACS)Provides Accreditation to schools in- |
| although they had a lower GPA. It does matter for an | | | | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, |
| international student as natives have opportunities | | | | Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, |
| irrespective of the accreditation status of the school | | | | Texas, Virginia, and Latin America. |
| they went to. | | | | Western Association of Schools and Colleges |
| In common terms, accreditation is the official | | | | (WASC)Provides Accreditation to schools in- |
| recognition of a school, university or institution for | | | | California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Palau, |
| provision of satisfactory education, training or exam | | | | Micronesia, Northern Marianas, Marshall Islands, and |
| preparation. This in turn can help employers/ hiring | | | | other Australasian locations. |
| agencies to know who they are hiring when you | | | | Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges |
| complete your education. Should an institution decide to | | | | (NWCCU)Provides Accreditation to schools in- |
| procure accreditation, agencies mentioned below give | | | | Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and |
| opportunity to make choices, to exercise volition | | | | Washington. |
| regarding accreditation. The process of accreditation | | | | There is no legally designated accrediting agency in the |
| requires the school to meet certain norms and criterion | | | | United States and Europe. The only safe route in USA |
| that are established by various regional accrediting | | | | for applying to schools is a thorough consideration of |
| agencies enlisted as follows- | | | | the aforementioned agencies.I don't deny the existence |
| New England Association of Schools and Colleges | | | | of numerous agencies in USA but the once which |
| (NEASC)Provides Accreditation to schools in- | | | | really are acknowledged widely are mentioned here. |