Education Commons^™

Reexamining The Examiners: The Need For Increased Government Regulation Of Accreditation In Higher Education, Sarah Molinero

Duquesne Law Review

Higher education institutions in the United States must be accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education to be eligible to receive federal funding, making accreditation critical to an institution's survival. But while the federal government relies on accreditation as a benchmark for dispersing billions of taxpayer dollars each year, it specifically disclaims accountability for the quality of education that students actually receive at accredited institutions.

With the increase in for-profit education, mounting student loan debt, and a growing trend in competition for international student recruitment, the accreditation system utilized in the United States for over 100 years …