Oct 18 -- The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of Education (ED), invites comments by December 19, 2022 regarding the renewal of Accrediting Agencies Reporting Activities for Institutions and Programs—Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institution and Programs (DAPIP).
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) does not accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the Department provides oversight over the postsecondary accreditation system through its monitoring and periodic review of all federally-recognized accrediting agencies. The Department holds accrediting agencies accountable by ensuring that they enforce their accreditation standards effectively. Also, as a part of the Department’s oversight roles, the Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit.
In order to be recognized by the Secretary, all accrediting agencies undergo an initial evaluation process and periodic reevaluation reviews. After an agency is approved for recognition, the Department will identify the areas for which an agency is recognized and document its recognition of those areas in a Scope of Recognition Statement. These statements are posted online, along with other information about the accreditation process at the Accreditation in the United States website at
http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
The Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) has subsequently made information about accreditors, as well as information about accredited institutions and programs, available to the public through the online Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs at
http://ope.ed.gov/dapip/. The public site is compiled from public information submitted to the Department by recognized accrediting agencies and state approval agencies. This information is collected and maintained in the Department’s web-based Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs: Collection System at
https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/dapip/. This information is used for a variety of purposes, but most notably it is used by employers to ensure that job applicants obtained their education from an accredited institution or program.
DAPIP:
https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home
Draft data collection instruments and technical documentation:
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/ED-2022-SCC-0129/document
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-22542
