Regional Accreditation of Universities and Colleges

The US Department of Education and CHEA recognizes six distinct higher educational regions, each of which is overseen by a different accrediting body. This is the type of accreditation most commonly referred to and is for a university/college as a whole, not for individual programs. Accreditation by these regional agencies isn't automatic: this is voluntary accreditation. The regions and the states they represent are as follows:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools: accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands that award associate's, master's and/or doctoral degrees, including the accreditation of programs offered via distance education within these institutions.

New England Association of Schools and Colleges: accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont that award associate's, bachelor's, master's, and/or doctoral degrees, including the accreditation of programs offered via distance education within these institutions.

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools: accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, including tribal institutions, that award associate's, bachelor's, master's, and/or doctoral degrees, including the accreditation of programs offered via distance education within these institutions.

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities: accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington, that award associate's, bachelor's, master's, and/or doctoral degrees, including the accreditation of programs offered via distance education within these institutions.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, that award associate's, bachelor's, master's, and/or doctoral degrees, including the accreditation of programs offered via distance education within these institutions.

Western Association of Schools and Colleges: accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education in California, Hawaii, the United States territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of the Marshall Islands that award associate's, bachelor's, master's, and/or doctoral degrees, including the accreditation of programs offered via distance education within these institutions.