Trade School Accreditation: How Does It Work?
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College accreditation is when independent organizations evaluate the quality of a school and its programs. This process ensures that the school meets industry standards and effectively prepares students for success after graduation.
For the more than 8 million students enrolled in trade schools, accreditation means their school can properly prepare them for whatever trades they’re pursuing, whether that’s construction, HVAC maintenance, or medical coding.
Accreditation also allows trade schools to offer federal financial aid. Keep reading to learn more about accredited trade schools and why this process is so important.
What Is Trade School Accreditation?
In general, trade school accreditation works the same way four-year college accreditation does. An accrediting organization reviews the school, its programs, and its student outcomes to determine whether the institution meets industry standards.
While most trade schools pursue accreditation for the entire institution, sometypes of trade schools may pursue programmatic accreditation for individual programs as well, such as automotive services and health education programs.
By attending an accredited trade school, you can get benefits like:
Quality-assured career training and more robust support services- Access to federal financial aid, along with national, state, and regional scholarships
- Credentials that potential employers and industries will recognize and value
- Eligibility for professional licensure or certification that your field may require
- Access to programs and memberships in professional organizations in your industry
Who Accredits Trade Schools?
Only agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) provide accreditation that comes with the benefits listed above.
The two types of accreditors to look for when considering trade schools are regional and national accreditors.
Regional Accrediting Agencies
Most agree that the best institutional accreditors are regional accrediting agencies.
Trade schools and degree-granting colleges can seek institutional accreditation from one of the following regional accreditors depending on their location:
- Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
In other words, when a trade school is accredited by a regional agency, you can rest assured it meets the highest quality standards for higher education accreditation.
National Accrediting Agencies
Trade schools can also hold institutional accreditation from a national career-related accreditor. These agencies are typically recognized by ED but not CHEA.
While their accreditation processes aren’t as thorough as those of regional accreditors, national accreditation is still a sign of a quality education.
Here are some national trade school accreditors to look out for:
- Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
- Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)
- Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
- Council on Occupational Education (COE)
- National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS)
What Trade Schools Are Accredited?
The best trade schools will hold accreditation from one of the ED- and/or CHEA-recognized regional or career-related accrediting agencies listed above.
While not exhaustive, the following table highlights some top accredited trade schools based on their academic reputations.
| School | Location | Type | Accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bates Technical College | Tacoma, WA | Public 2-Year | NWCCU |
| Carolinas College of Health Sciences | Charlotte, NC | Public 4-Year | SACSCOC |
| Charlotte Technical College | Port Charlotte, FL | Public 2-Year | COE |
| Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton, WI | Public 2-Year | HLC |
| Lake Area Technical College | Watertown, SD | Public 2-Year | HLC |
| Lancaster County Career and Technology Center | Willow Street, PA | Public 2-Year | COE |
| Manhattan Area Technical College | Manhattan, KS | Public 2-Year | HLC |
| Mitchell Technical College | Mitchell, SD | Public 2-Year | HLC |
| Mt. San Antonio College | Walnut, CA | Public 2-Year | ACCJC |
| North Central Kansas Technical College | Beloit, KS | Public 2-Year | HLC |
| Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | Green Bay, WI | Public 2-Year | HLC |
| Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College | Minden, LA | Public 2-Year | COE |
| Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics | West Mifflin, PA | Private Nonprofit 2-Year | ACCSC |
| Texas State Technical College | Waco, TX | Public 2-Year | SACSCOC |
| Wallace Community College | Dothan, AL | Public 2-Year | SACSCOC |
How to Find Accredited Trade Schools: 2 Tips
Trade schools like to promote their accreditations if they have them, so finding accredited trade schools is generally a straightforward process.
Usually, you can find a school’s accreditation status on its website or in an accreditation directory.
Tip 1: Check a School’s Official Website
Most accredited trade schools list their accreditation somewhere on their official website.
You can even often find brief accreditation information on a trade school’s homepage. Carolinas College of Health Sciences, for example, posts the name and logo of its institutional accreditor, SACSCOC, near the bottom of its homepage.
For some schools, you’ll need to dig a little deeper, though. Charlotte Technical College and Bates Technical College link to their respective accreditation pages on their their “About Us” pages.
You can usually search for a school’s accreditation using the search bar on its website.
Tip 2: Use Accreditors’ Directories
Accreditation directories are one of the easiest ways to confirm trade school accreditation. CHEA’s directories allow you to search by institution, program, and accreditor.
You can also look through the directories of the alleged accrediting organization. ACCSC’s directory lists the 650-plus schools it currently accredits, while COE’s directory lists over 510 accredited member institutions.
When in doubt, you can reach out to a trade school directly and ask it to provide you with its accreditation information.
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