[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 34, Volume 3]

[Revised as of July 1, 2005]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 34CFR602.16]



[Page 202]

 

                           TITLE 34--EDUCATION

 

 CHAPTER VI--OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 

PART 602_THE SECRETARY'S RECOGNITION OF ACCREDITING AGENCIES--Table of 

Contents

 

                 Subpart B_The Criteria for Recognition

 

Sec. 602.16  Accreditation and preaccreditation standards.



    (a) The agency must demonstrate that it has standards for 

accreditation, and preaccreditation, if offered, that are sufficiently 

rigorous to ensure that the agency is a reliable authority regarding the 

quality of the education or training provided by the institutions or 

programs it accredits. The agency meets this requirement if--

    (1) The agency's accreditation standards effectively address the 

quality of the institution or program in the following areas:

    (i) Success with respect to student achievement in relation to the 

institution's mission, including, as appropriate, consideration of 

course completion, State licensing examination, and job placement rates.

    (ii) Curricula.

    (iii) Faculty.

    (iv) Facilities, equipment, and supplies.

    (v) Fiscal and administrative capacity as appropriate to the 

specified scale of operations.

    (vi) Student support services.

    (vii) Recruiting and admissions practices, academic calendars, 

catalogs, publications, grading, and advertising.

    (viii) Measures of program length and the objectives of the degrees 

or credentials offered.

    (ix) Record of student complaints received by, or available to, the 

agency.

    (x) Record of compliance with the institution's program 

responsibilities under Title IV of the Act, based on the most recent 

student loan default rate data provided by the Secretary, the results of 

financial or compliance audits, program reviews, and any other 

information that the Secretary may provide to the agency; and

    (2) The agency's preaccreditation standards, if offered, are 

appropriately related to the agency's accreditation standards and do not 

permit the institution or program to hold preaccreditation status for 

more than five years.

    (b) If the agency only accredits programs and does not serve as an 

institutional accrediting agency for any of those programs, its 

accreditation standards must address the areas in paragraph (a)(1) of 

this section in terms of the type and level of the program rather than 

in terms of the institution.

    (c) If none of the institutions an agency accredits participates in 

any Title IV, HEA program, or if the agency only accredits programs 

within institutions that are accredited by a nationally recognized 

institutional accrediting agency, the agency is not required to have the 

accreditation standards described in paragraphs (a)(1)(viii) and 

(a)(1)(x) of this section.

    (d) An agency that has established and applies the standards in 

paragraph (a) of this section may establish any additional accreditation 

standards it deems appropriate.



(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 

1845-0003)



(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1099b)