AAHE /AAHEA

IMPORTANT NOTICE:For a member or accredited institution to be considered in good standing and valid, the affiliate MUST have a current year membership or accreditation certificate posted on the institutions website. 

Membership and accreditation are two totally different recognitions. Membership levels are for any type organization or institution, as Accreditation is a lengthy and detailed process that can take from a few months to two years or longer. Our accreditation process has been used by traditional schools as a preparation for traditional type accreditation. It is quite similar in content and rigor, and has been patterned to that of CHEA / DOE type guidelines.

Being a member in no way implies that an institution has passed the stringent qualifications and guidelines pertaining to Accreditation. AAHEA can also be of assistance to help you qualify for traditional type accreditation that is recognized by the CHEA / DOE. We have qualified members and partnerships from the traditional sector to assist in business, educational and academic type consulting services.

Greetings: American Association for Higher Education & Accreditation, Inc (Formerly AAHE), is one of the oldest associations in the United States dedicated to the advancement of higher education. The AAHEA has maintained continuous ties to the original AAHE incorporation that was founded in 1969, and is still working under the same 501-C3 Non-Profit Organizational Charter.. This statement can be verified by the United States Government as well as the IRS. The papers are on file at our office for anyone interested in perusing the official documents.

Under totally new management and Board of Directors for 2012, the AAHEA continues to be of service to members of the academic community, and has now expanded to include religious, specialty school & foreign validation and accreditation. AAHEA specializes in programs that do not fit the criteria of traditional accrediting agencies. http://www.aahea.org/aahea/index.php/2013-03-11-16-53-04/root/aahea-religious-accreditation

While the AAHEA is not listed by CHEA, we believe we offer the best in traditional services and non-traditional accreditation and recognition programs available.

Earning an accreditation in the United States is voluntary & nongovernmental. Schools request to be evaluated and/or have their programs evaluated by an independent accrediting agency. The agency sets its own standards that the school must meet in order to earn their accreditation, and since accrediting agencies vary in their quality standards, some are considered more prestigious than others. Which one a school chooses depends on what standard of quality the school hopes to achieve and to maintain.

Schools usually familiarize themselves with the agency's standards well ahead of time and spend several months preparing for their accreditation review. If they pass the review and earn accreditation, it is an endorsement of their school as a legitimate institution of higher education that meets an acceptable level of quality. Some schools may include their accreditation status in the college information they present to potential students.

Just as there are recognized accrediting agencies, there are unrecognized agencies. This simply means that their standards have not been reviewed by the Department of Education or by CHEA. There are a variety of reasons why an agency may be unrecognized. For example, the agency may be working toward recognition with the Department or CHEA, or it may not meet the criteria for recognition by either organization. Whatever the reason, it's important to keep this in mind when exploring college info.

You should view unrecognized accrediting agencies with caution until you can evaluate their reputation. An unrecognized agency doesn't necessarily have low standards of quality, but it is important to know that many U.S. employers only recognize degrees from institutions accredited by a recognized agency.