The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accrediting agencies, which are private educational associations of regional or national scope, develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency's evaluation and that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that agency. (US Department of Education)
All campuses of Indiana University are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This level of accreditation is recognized by the US Department of Education and is necessary for our students to participate in federally supported student financial aid programs.
Specific schools or programs may also carry specialized accreditation. For a listing of these programs and their accrediting bodies, please refer to the campus-specific links at the left side of this page.
If you feel that the school or an accredited program has failed to meet the expectations of accrediation, you may file a complaint. Each accrediting body receives complaints. In general, they have the following expectations (please refer to the individual accreditor's complaint process information for additional details):
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Attempt to resolve your complaint locally. Your department, school, and campus each have processes for resolving complaints. Some accreditors will require that you demonstrate that you have exhausted the local processes before filing a complaint with them.
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Submit your complaint in writing. Many accrediting bodies require that your complaint be submitted in writing. This creates a record of the complaint and includes your signature, attesting to the authenticity of the complaint.
The links below will take you to the accrediting bodies' home pages and to specific information about filing a complaint.
