What is Regional Accreditation?

Accreditation is awarded to qualifying higher education institutes following an investigation by independent, external auditors. The purpose is to ensure that the institution keeps its promises to students. Those promises include things like:

  • Do the degrees offered prepare students for relevant careers in that field?
  • Does the University provide financial and other assistance to students who want it?
  • Are faculty members adequately qualified to teach their courses?
  • Is the University using ethical strategies to attract prospective students?

These are just a few of the many questions auditors answer during thorough, months-long investigations. Every aspect of an institution’s process is examined comprehensively with compiled data, documentation, and first-hand observation to determine whether a University deserves accreditation. An important aspect of regional accreditation is that it must be renewed at regular intervals to ensure academic integrity at the level of a state University.

Regional accreditation is rooted in the history of traditional brick-and-mortar Colleges and Universities, and CSU Global is proud to be the first and only 100% online, independent, regionally accredited, nonprofit University in the nation. Regionally accredited Universities and Colleges usually only accept transfer credits or degrees from other regionally accredited institutions.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits, and thereby grants membership to, educational institutions in the North Central region: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The HLC is recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CSU Global is proud to be re-accredited by the HLC. More information can be found on our website