About A.E.C.S.A

AECSA is a non-profit organisation set up to investigate and categorise the educational standards of universities and professional organisations around the world.

Over the years it has investigated over 1,000 universities and professional bodies, and list all who meet its high certification standards as "approved" organisations. AECSA also lists universities and professional bodies that are of a dubious nature under headings such as "degree mills" and "non-traditional" institutions on this website.

AECSA also undertakes the ranking of universities and professional bodies by specialisation, either by itself or via the rankings published by leading educational establishments, newspapers and professional journals... More >



Accreditation

What do you mean by an "accredited" university?

 

In most countries the word University is a protected name, and granted to institutions after significant demonstration of academic rigor and research scholarship. However in some countries the word "University" is registered as a business name, and degrees are granted for "life experience". A majority of such universities are in the USA and UK, but there are some in Asia, Europe and Africa. Unidegree.com considers as "accredited" only those universities accredited by the 5 regional accrediting agencies in the USA, or those that have a Government or Royal Charter such as a university in the UK would normally have.

 

This is an extensive guide to active, emerging and recent degree mills and officially unaccredited universities, obtained from many sources including the Bear's Guide to Degree Mills, the Economist and the Higher Education Supplement of the Australian. Go to:



http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,5017662%255E23004,00.html

 

*Disclaimer: Many Internet based universities have names very similar (and sometimes the same) to genuine universities in other countries. Just because a university name appears on the lists below does not mean there isn't an accredited university of the same name. Prospective students therefore should not accept or reject a university just because its name appears on a list provided by Unidegree.com, which takes no responsibility for prospective student actions due to the publication of the following lists. Unidegree.com would welcome communication from universities whose names appear in these lists and are either genuinely accredited, or have been misclassified, and it will be happy to revise the list once the error is confirmed. Students should ask a university the following questions before making their choice of an education:
 

 

  • Does the university provide an address of a campus location (many unaccredited universities have only PO Boxes or mailing addresses)

 

  • If a campus location is given, do they have students at that campus? If so, how many? Do not be afraid of asking such questions.

 

  • Is the university a private university? Does the university have accreditation? Who has provided this accreditation? Is the accrediting agency recognised by a government authority?

 

  • Is the university claiming to give degree purely for "Life Experience" without any formal coursework? Some students may actually want such an institution.

 

The compilation is separated into two lists*:

 

1.Degree Mills.

 

These 'universities' offer to "confer" degrees based on life experience, with prices ranging from $300 to about $10,000.

 

View listing of Degree Mills




2.Non-Traditional Institutions

 

The following "non-traditional" degree institutions may offer instruction and mentoring, but lack official course recognition. Some credit may be given for work experience.

 

View listing of Non-Traditional Institutions