This is a list of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations, as identified by the organizations themselves, government authorities in their respective countries, or other independent authorities. This article includes entities that are engaged in higher education accreditation or have been identified as being accreditors, but which lack appropriate recognition or authorization.
Prerequisites and rules for higher education accreditation vary from country to country. In most countries, the function of quality assurance for higher education institutions is conducted by a government ministry of education. However in the United States, educational accreditation is performed primarily by private nonprofit membership associations,Diploma mills provide phony credentials, By Helena Andrews, The Capital Times/Medill News Service, February 14, 2005 the legitimacy of which is validated through recognition by the United States Department of Education (USDE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or both. USDE and CHEA recognize many of the independent accrediting organizations, but not all. Accreditors seek USDE or CHEA recognition for different reasons; for example, USDE recognition is required for accreditors whose institutions or programs seek eligibility for federal student aid funds. CHEA recognition confers an academic legitimacy on accrediting organizations, helping to solidify the place of these organizations and their institutions and programs in the national higher education community.
Often, a school relying on accreditation from an unrecognized accrediting body will not be viewed as legitimate in the academic community.Important Questions about "Diploma Mills" and "Accreditation Mills" , Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Fact Sheet 6, May 2003. Retrieved October 17, 2010. Institutional accreditation is usually required by US institutions to receive federal government funds. Also, students who attend institutions of higher education that are accredited through organizations not recognized by the USDE or CHEA do not qualify for US government financial aid.An Overview of U.S. Accreditation, by Judith S. Eaton, CHEA. Archived August 4, 2007. Similarly, employers or graduate programs cannot be confident that graduates of an unaccredited institution or program will be appropriately prepared.
To assist education consumers, several national and international bodies publish lists of recognized accreditation bodies and accredited educational institutions, as well as lists of other accreditors that are known to lack the necessary legal authority or recognition, and higher education providers known to lack accreditation. The United States organization CHEA maintains an international directory of education ministries and other recognized higher education quality assurance bodies worldwide. The 2007 version of that directory lists 467 recognized bodies in 175 countries.CHEA International Directory introduction , accessed November 21, 2010
Some, but not all, of the entities in the list below are considered to be fraudulent accreditation mills that were set up to help diploma mills lure students and whose "accreditation" has no legal or academic value. Some diploma and degree mills have played a role in creating these accrediting bodies as well. These diploma and degree mills may further confuse matters by claiming to consider work history, professional education, or previous learning, and may even require the submission of a purported dissertation or thesis, in order to give an added appearance of legitimacy. Some other listed entities are religious accreditation bodies, whose accreditation may have doctrinal significance but lacks recognized academic value.
Also included are some organizations that do not offer educational accreditation but have been falsely identified as accrediting bodies by organizations that claim to have been accredited by them. A notable example of this last type is UNESCO, which does not have authority to recognize or accredit higher education institutions or agencies. Nonetheless, because diploma mills have claimed false UNESCO accreditation, UNESCO itself has published warnings against education organizations that claim UNESCO recognition or affiliation.Luca Lantero, Degree Mills: non-accredited and irregular higher education institutions , Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence (CIMEA), Italy. "On Unesco's website a warning has also been published regarding all institutions that claim to be recognized by them, but which are actually not. As Unesco make clear in their communiqué, they do not have the power to accredit any higher education institutions or agencies; as a consequence, institutions or agencies claiming to be recognized by Unesco has to be looked upon with suspicion."UNESCO "Alert: Misuse of UNESCO Name by Bogus Institutions", UNESCO website, accessed 30 November 2011
A Academy for Contemporary Research Academy for the Promotion of International Culture and Scientific Exchange (APICS) or Akademie für Internationale Kultur und Wissenschaftförderung, Switzerland, Hawaii; accreditor of Monticello University, also associated with La Jolla University and Irish International University Accelerated Degree Programs Accreditation Agency for European Non-Traditional Universities, Ireland, New York; accreditor of Ballmore Irish University Accreditation Association of Ametrican College and Universities; accredited the American University of Hawaii Accreditation Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries, Morgantown, Kentucky Accreditation Council for Distance Education Accreditation Council for International Education Accreditation Council for Online Academia Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools Accreditation Council on Medical Denturity Accreditation Distance Education Council Accreditation Governing Commission of the United States of AmericaFiocchetti, C., Checcacci, C. & Lantero, L., "How to spot and counter diploma mills", Chapter 4 (November, 2010) Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence (CIMEA) Ezell, Allen (2009), Recent Developments with Degree Mills: Accreditation Mills and Counterfeit Diploma and Transcript Operations , College and University 85(2): 40–50. Accessed on website of MACRAO, the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers, October 19, 2010.Bear, John, and Bear, Mariah P.: Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning. Ten Speed Press, 2003, pages 51–61. Stephen Barrett, Be Wary of Nonrecognized Accreditation Agencies, dated November 20, 2008, Credential Watch website, accessed October 7, 2010 Accreditation Panel for Online Colleges and Universities Accredited Universities of Sovereign Nations from their own website: "We are not affiliated with any government, any industry, any sovereign nation, nor any political or religious ideology — our seal of accreditation is one of independence and international excellence." (affiliated with American University of Sovereign Nations) Accrediting Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries, Sarasota, Florida Accrediting Commission for Specialized Colleges, Gas City, Indiana Accrediting Commission International (ACI) (formerly in Beebe, Arkansas, now in Sarasota, Florida) (aka International Accrediting Commission)"Accrediting" entities not recognized by the State of Oregon , Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization (accessed March 17, 2009) Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges, and Theological Seminaries (ACI) (in Beebe, Arkansas) (aka Accrediting Commission International) Accrediting Commission of Independent Colleges and Schools, Bald Knob, Kentucky Accrediting Commission of International Colleges and Universities (ACICU) Accrediting Council for Colleges and Schools (ACCS) Adult Higher Education Alliance (AHEA)Information concerning unaccredited universities Advanced Online Business Education Society Agency of International EducationThe Agency of International Education is associated with the training college called Infant Massage Information Service. Rolfe, John. "Infant Massage Information Service Investigated by Fair Trading", The Herald Sun, Sydney, 6 November 2014. Retrieved on 6 November 2014. AF Sep, accreditor claimed by Beta International University Alternative Institution Accrediting Association (AIAA), Washington, DC American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions (AATI) (in Rocky Mount, North Carolina)Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning by John Bear, Mariah P. Bear (2003), page 61 American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation (AAHEA)Thomas Bartlett, ""Inquiry Into Higher-Education Group Reveals Odd Connections," Chronicle of Higher Education, Monday, August 25, 2008 longer excerpt at Based in Ocala, Florida, but uses the name and Washington, DC telephone number of another organization that was defunct in 2009. American Association of Accredited Private Schools (AAPS) American Association of Drugless Practitioners Commission on Accreditation (AADPCA); also known as American Alternative Medical Association American Association of Independent Collegiate Schools of Business American Association of International Medical Graduates (AAIMG) American Association of Non-traditional Colleges and Universities (AANCU) American Association of Non-Traditional Private Postsecondary Education American Association of Schools (AAS) American Association of Universities and Colleges (AAUC) American Board of Higher Education Commission (ABHEC) American Bureau of Higher Education (ABHE) American Communication Association (ACA) American Council of Private Colleges and Universities (ACPCU) (connected to the operator of Hamilton University, now called Richardson University)States Struggle to Regulate Online Colleges That Lack Accreditation by Sarah Carr and Andrea L. Foster, The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 23, 2001 American Council on Private School Accreditation (ACPSA)Canyon College lists accreditation through the Nevada based ANMAB and the New York based ACPSA. . American Education Association for the Accreditation of Schools, Colleges & Universities American Federation of Colleges and Schools (AFCS) American Federation of Colleges and Seminaries(AmFed)(AFCS) or American Federation of Christian Colleges and Schools (in Lakeland, Florida) American Naturopathic Certification Board (ANCB) American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board (ANMAB) American Naturopathic Medical Certification and Accreditation Board (ANMCAB or ANMAB) American Naturopathic Medicine Association (ANMA) American Psychotherapy Association American Universities Admission ProgramRegistrars’ Group Takes On Diploma Mills, Inside Higher Ed, February 10, 2006. American University Accreditation Council (connected to the operator of the University of Northern Virginia)The University of Northern Virginia, which claims accreditation from the American University Accreditation Council (formerly identified as the American Council of University Accreditation), states on its website that "AUAC is not recognized by the US Department of Education as an accrediting body and is a non-CHEA accreditation agency for the U.S. schools with international programs." (Accessed October 10, 2010)Tom Bartlett, Karin Fischer, and Josh Keller, Little-Known Colleges Exploit Visa Loopholes to Make Millions Off Foreign Students, The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 20, 2011. Identifies the organization as "not recognized by the Department of Education." "Drive to the address on the contact page and ... you'll find a bustling auto-body repair shop. That shop, it turns out, is owned by Gary Zhu, acting chairman of the board at UNVA." Arizona Commission of Non-Traditional Private Postsecondary Education