Unaccredited Degree Program-Why?

guiltysins · Mar 1, 2009

I don't know why people would, if it's for your BSN then you can't get your license without the program being accredited. Maybe the people applying don't know what accredidation means?

bluemorningglory · Mar 1, 2009

It's for an ADN program. I thought you could become an RN if you pass the NCLEX? Maybe someone can educate me here...

kathleenincal · Mar 1, 2009

the programs have to be accrediated in the state you live.

schools just want money and dont care.

always check with your state first, ask your state if they are accrediated. if they arent your wasting your time and money.

be careful of schools scamming students.

guiltysins · Mar 1, 2009

It's for an ADN program. I thought you could become an RN if you pass the NCLEX? Maybe someone can educate me here...

You can't even sit for the NCLEX test if you didn't graduate from an accredited school/hospital program. What state do you live in?

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2009

One of the programs I might apply to is unaccredited yet people still enroll. Why?

There are two reasons why a nursing program is unaccredited:

1. ALL new programs in most colleges, even law schools and medical schools, always start off unaccredited.

2. If the program has been in existance for awhile, then that means that they either

A. Never had the accreditation to start with...which makes the degree worthless.

B. Lost the accreditation...and they are trying to get it back....not a good thing

When a college is unaccredited, you cannot get financial aid, but you may still be able to get private student loans, which have a higher interest rate.

So, you need to research the university itself...but if the program is new and the university/college has a good reputation, then unless I needed financial aid, it would not concern me one bit to sign up for one.

They have to graduate so many classes in order to become accredited. You still get to sit for NCLEX, and no, they don't take your RN away if the college never gets accredited, but the college you graduated from would be unaccredited unless it changed in the future...in the rare even it never comes to fruition. It will only cause you a major problem if you try to advance your education.

My suggestion would be to call your Board of Nursing in the state the University is in, to find out what their specific guidelines are.

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2009

I don't know why people would, if it's for your BSN then you can't get your license without the program being accredited. Maybe the people applying don't know what accredidation means?

Not true...see my post.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 1, 2009

Most people don't understand the differences between the various accreditation processes. In nursing, we have 3 layers of accreditation.

1. The state board process of approving nursing programs. If you meet the state board requirements, your students can take the NCLEX exam. Period. That's all it means. In many states, those requirements represent a "bare minimum" level of quality.

2. Organizations of schools (colleges, vocational schools, etc.) offer accreditation to certify that the school is a legitimate educational institution. There are many different organizations that provide this service -- and a school will choose which organizations to belong to based on their geographic location, type of school (university vs vocational, etc.), etc. The Federal Government requires that a school be accredited by at least one of these major organizations in order for its students to receive federal financial aid as well as some other federal money. These organizations look at the overall processes and performance of the whole school -- rather than focus on the quality of specific programs within the school.

3. Various professional organizations (e.g. nursing) offer an accreditation that focuses on whether or not the specific nursing program meets the standards set by the professional organization. In the past, the NLN was the main organization that provided that level of accreditation. In recent years, the NLN has become more focused on Diploma and ADN programs as many of the BSN programs have formed a new organization, AACN, that only accredits programs at the BSN level and above.

So ... a school can say it is "accredited" and be correct even though it only has the type of accreditation described in #1 and #2 above. However, their students may have trouble transfering some of their credits to a school that requires the #3 level of accreditation.

A school only has to meet the criteria for the #1 type for its students to be able to take the NCLEX.

Unfortunately, most students don't much about the higher education system and don't take this sort of thing into account when they choose a school. And schools who don't have all 3 types of accreditation downplay the importance of the #3 type as they try to recruit students into their program. So do their graduates as few people want to admit that they went to a school whose quality was questionable.

For a brand new school -- They have to graduate some classes before they are eligible for accreditation. Usually, if the school is successful in their first application, that accreditation is granted retro-actively so that it covers the first few graduating classes.

I hope that clarifies things.