THE START: Accreditation of educational programs and schools began over one hundred years ago as a means for quality assurance.

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS: An external body, such as an independent, nonprofit accrediting agency, assesses the program's structure and content to ensure it meets the agency's standards. If the standards are met, the agency awards the institution accreditation. 

QUALITY ASSURANCE: Online school accreditation is a voluntary process that verifies that an online program meets quality standards. 

PROGRAM REVIEW: Lack of accreditation does not mean a program is low quality - it simply means that the program has not decided to complete the accreditation process.