Educational institutions and study programmes

Below, we explain what types of educational institutions and study programmes there are in the US. We also explain how we check whether these are accredited. We check the accreditation i to make sure that the quality is sufficient. We give the necessary information per educational sector.

Students can take secondary education at a high school. There are both public and private schools. There are also other ways to follow secondary education: via homeschooling, online schools or a high school outside the US.

Homeschooling

Homeschooling entails that the parents or another designated adult educate students at home. While homeschooling is legal in the United States, the regulations vary significantly from one state to another. For example, less than half of states require homeschooled children to undergo any form of evaluation or examination. Parents often use a pre-defined curriculum, or they create part or all of their own curriculum, e.g. faith based learning. The parents produce and sign the final diploma and associated list of grades themselves.

Please note: since the quality of the education received by homeschooled students is not guaranteed by a specific body, we cannot assess the level achieved by these students.

Online schools

Although there are many similarities between online schools and homeschooling, there are also differences. The main difference is that online schools have teachers who manage students’ education remotely (online). This management takes place within a structured curriculum, which is developed by the online school (also known as a virtual school). Parents can play the role of supervisor alongside the online teachers. In the case of public online schools, the curriculum is not based on religious principles. Public online schools use the standardised tests. Students can only be awarded the diploma from a public online school if they meet the graduation requirements set by the state.

We can assess the High School Diploma of an online school if the school has been regionally accredited in the US (see below). In order to estimate the level that the pupil has reached with reasonable accuracy, we use SAT or ACT scores.

High school outside the US

A fair number of students who apply for Dutch universities of applied sciences and research universities have obtained a High School Diploma from an international school abroad (having completed an American curriculum). These programmes largely correspond to an American high school programme. Where a diploma is obtained abroad, paying careful attention to accreditation is particularly important.

Other forms of accreditation

Other bodies are also involved in the accreditation of high schools. It is often unclear whether their work is monitored. In the case of private schools in particular, other (non-regional) bodies are responsible for accreditation.

In case of a High School Diploma, it is import to check the subjects the student took. Below, we describe the Advanced Placement (AP), the college preparatory program, honors subjects, ACTs and SATs.

The US has over 4,000 higher education institutions. These institutions are either public or private. The fact that an institution is public or private is no indication of the quality or level of the institution.

Colleges and universities

The terms college and university are used interchangeably. The quality of education at a college or university can be both good and not as good.

In this description, college is taken to mean a four-year college. Four-year colleges offer 4-year undergraduate programmes (bachelor’s programmes), whereas junior colleges or community colleges generally offer 2-year undergraduate programmes (associate degree programmes) only.

Although there are many exceptions, the main differences are generally as follows:

• A university offers both undergraduate programmes (‘associate and bachelor’s programs’) and graduate programmes (‘master’s and doctoral programs’).
• A college mainly offers undergraduate programmes.

Junior colleges and community colleges

A junior college is an institution that offers 2-year undergraduate programmes. Community colleges are mainly public junior colleges which offer 2-year associate degree programmes and various certificate programmes.

Students who plan to continue in the 3rd year of a bachelor’s programme (undergraduate programme) must complete a so-called ‘transfer program’ offered by community colleges.

Accreditation of higher education institutions

It is important that all institutions are accredited. There are regional accrediting organisations and national accrediting organisations. In the US, however, students who have studied at a non-regionally accredited institution are often not eligible for exemptions or for admission to (further) studies at a regionally accredited institution.

The main aim of the accreditation of institutions – regional (institutional) accreditation – is to establish the extent to which an institution is capable of fulfilling its mission. Where necessary, the institution will be given suggestions for improvement.

Regional accrediting organisations

In the United States, there are 7 regional accrediting organisations which accredit higher education institutions:

• Middle States Commission of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE);
• New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE);
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC);
• Northwest Commission of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NWCCU);
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC);
• WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC);
• Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC).

There are 2 organisations which recognise these regional accrediting bodies and supervise their work:

• the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) defines most of the standards for accreditation;
• the U.S. Department of Education (ED) primarily deals with issues relating to the award of government funding.

National accrediting organisations

As well as the 7 regional accrediting organisations, there are a number of other bodies recognised by CHEA or ED which accredit institutions. These are known as national (institutional) accrediting bodies. They are often responsible for accrediting institutions that primarily offer single-purpose education (education in a specific sector, such as art or business), or faith-based programmes.

In the US, however, students who have studied at a non-regionally accredited institution are often not eligible for exemptions or for admission to (further) studies at a regionally accredited institution.

Besides organisations that accredit institutions, there are also organisations that accredited study programmes in certain fields in the US. This recognition is known as professional accreditation, or programmatic accreditation or ‘specialized accreditation’. Among other things, it includes programmes in business, engineering and medical/paramedical sciences.

Programmatic accreditation or ‘specialized accreditation’ is important for professions in the US where this type of accreditation is required, such as engineers, architects and medical/paramedical professions. This accreditation is also important for practising these types of professions in the Netherlands.