Accreditation in the USA varies from the rest of the World.
In the USA accreditation is an entirely voluntary process, carried out by private non-government agencies. Over the past few years accreditation in the USA has generally meant accreditation from one of the six regional accreditation associations recognised by the USA Federal Ministry of Education or the Distance Education and Training Council.
In the United States there are also approximately 60 professional accreditation agencies recognised by the USA Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Elsewhere in the world, in particular Commonwealth countries, this professional recognition is carried by professional qualification awarding bodies.
Outside of the USA Universities are chartered (UK) or licensed by their respective governments, but not generally accredited. The word “University” is generally restricted and needs Ministry of Education permission to be used.
Many countries have accreditation Boards or Councils etc. which accredited particular courses e.g.:- Malaysian – LAN, Ghana- NAB, Australia – ARC etc. These bodies generally register the institution and only accredit their courses.
Through out the world various professional bodies (e.g.: Institute of Financial Accountants) and business (e.g.: Microsoft) accredit courses taught by educational institutions and accredits them to teach their programs.