Unaccredited Degree Program-Why?

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.