Sholeh: Accreditation really does matter

With all the attention on North Idaho College and its possible probationary status threatening the loss of accreditation, it begs the question: If it does lose accreditation, so what?

Short answer: Students’ loss.

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is voluntary, but every reputable college and university has it. It’s essentially a rigorous evaluation process they undergo to demonstrate they meet at least a minimum level of quality in education.

There are three types: Regional, national and programmatic — depending on the types of schools and their programs. Once a school is accredited, it gets reevaluated every few years to keep it.

Who gives accreditation to colleges and universities?

Government and non-governmental organizations are part of the accreditation process, with education-related government agencies monitoring the private organizations that accredit colleges, trade schools, and universities.

Why does accreditation matter?

Beyond ensuring academic quality, accreditation impacts financial aid. Lending banks, institutions, federal loan agencies, and scholarship funds want to know their money is going somewhere effective, so most insist the student’s school is accredited. In other words, if a student needs loans, scholarships, or grants to go to school, as most do, they need to go to an accredited school.

Thus if a school loses accreditation, it will lose students rapidly. Students don’t want to lose financial aid eligibility.

Does accreditation affect transfer credits?

Yes, radically. Students who want to change schools usually can’t transfer any course credit from a non-accredited institution. Conversely, almost all schools accept credit from regionally accredited institutions.

Will old degrees be valid, if it’s lost?

Yes. As long as the institution was accredited when the degree was awarded, the degree is still good. It’s current and future students who would be adversely affected.

That said, technicalities aside, it still doesn’t look good if your degree comes from a school which lost accreditation, even after your own graduation. While still valid, it leaves a bad impression psychologically with potential employers.

What happens after accreditation is lost?

Other than the obvious stated above, those colleges tend to close or rapidly lose effectiveness. The Wall Street Journal did a survey of 18 institutions which lost accreditation between 2000 and 2015. Nine closed in that period. The others had an average graduation rate of only 35%, and a higher-than-average student-loan default rate.

To North Idaho College’s Board of Trustees: Please do what you have to do to keep it, in honor of your oath of office and in service to the community you represent. Even if it means falling on your own sword.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email Sholeh@cdapress.com.