STATE APPROVAL
Licensure or Approval is a mandatory government process to assure that an entity meets certain requirements established by the legislature. It refers to approval/permission to engage in a business activity. The United States has no federal ministry of education or other centralized authority exercising single national control over private postsecondary education institutions.
To operate a private postsecondary institution in the United States you must first apply for and receive approval, sometimes called licensure or registration from the State where your institution will be located before you may operate.
To receive State approval an institution must demonstrate that is meets certain minimum standards by usually describing the following:
- Purpose or Mission
- Organization
- Administration
- Programs Descriptions
- Faculty
- Facilities
- Admission policies
- Equipment
- Financials
- Ownership
Financial aid from State or City funding (i.e. WIA, ETP) is awarded only to students who attend schools that are licensed or approved.
ACCREDITATION
Accreditation is a voluntary process to assure that an entity meets standards established by a group of external experts in a particular field. It refers to the recognition of an educational institution as maintaining certain standards.
Accreditation is the granting of public recognition to a school, university or course of study that meets certain established standards and qualifications. It provides a professional judgment regarding the quality of the schools or programs, while also encouraging continual improvement. The practice of accreditation is a means of conducting nongovernmental, peer evaluation of educational institutions.
These criteria usually involve inspection of qualities of an institution’s:
- Purpose or Mission
- Organization
- Administration
- Programs Descriptions
- Faculty
- Facilities
- Admission policies
- Equipment
- Financials
- Ownership
Financial aid (also known as TITLE IV funding) from government is awarded only to students who attend recognized or accredited institutions.