Nursing School Accreditation

How to Choose a Nursing School with Full Accreditation

Don't Gamble with Your Nursing Career

Over 600 schools in the U.S. offer RN to BSN programs. Choosing which program is right for you is an important decision. When you find a program that appears to meet your needs, visit its website. Arrange to talk to students, graduates, and faculty. Ask about tuition, financial aid, jobs graduates hold, and the experience of students. Check if the school and the program are accredited. Find out how long it will take you to complete the program, given your particular work experience and educational credits.

University Accreditation

There are several reasons why accreditation is important:

• Schools that are not accredited by a nationally-recognized accrediting agency cannot participate in government student financial aid programs, which means students can’t apply for federal grants or loans.
• It is much easier to transfer credits from an accredited school.
• Employers who offer tuition reimbursement may not reimburse for credits earned at a non-accredited school.
• Accreditation ensures that online students receive the same education and services as campus learners.

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Council on Higher Education (CHEA) recognize six regional accrediting agencies. Prospective students are urged to check the websites listed to find out whether schools they are considering are accredited by a regional agency.

The six regional accrediting agencies are:

1. New England Association of Schools and Colleges – accredits schools in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont – http://www.neasc.org
2. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools – accredits schools in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands – http://www.msache.org
3. Sorthwest Association of Schools and Colleges – accredits schools and colleges in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington – http://www.cocnasc.org (under construction)
4. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools – accredits schools in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington – http://www.ncacihe.org
5. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – accredits schools in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia – http://www.sacscoc.org
6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges – accredits schools in California, Hawaii, and Guam – http://www.wascweb.org

DOE and CHEA recognize other accrediting agencies, such as Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). For a list of all the accrediting agencies DOE and CHEA recognize, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/index.html and/or http://www.chea.org/

Nursing Program / Degree Accreditation

Two national organizations accredit bachelor’s level nursing education programs: The National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates from accredited programs qualify to attend other accredited schools. If you go to a nursing school that is not accredited by one of these two organizations, you may get just as good an education but you may not be able to attend accredited schools for further education.

Graduation from accredited nursing schools also gives nurses a hiring advantage. Many employers prefer to hire graduates of accredited schools because they know the nurses have been trained under nationally recognized standards.

Go to http://www.nlnac.org and http://www.aacn.nche.edu/accreditation/ to find out if nursing programs you are considering attending are accredited.