Accreditation is a review process in which colleges, universities and other educational institutions are evaluated periodically in order to maintain quality assurance and standards of excellence. Review boards in the US – regional, independent, peer-evaluated organizations – set the standard for accreditation. These review boards are composed of administrators and faculty from other accredited colleges and universities. Areas of evaluation include governance, quality of teaching and curriculum, general services, student services, and facilities.
Colleges that are assessed by accreditation associations are more likely to offer degrees that employers and recruiters recognize. The accreditation process also offers students a better chance of having their credits accepted at other reputable institutions, should they decide to transfer to another college or obtain a graduate or doctoral degree.
An important factor in having a successful career is choosing a reputable college. The American University of Paris has been continuously accredited since 1973 by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)*, one of only a handful of prestigious regional accreditation associations in the United States. The Middle States Commission accredits many other well-known universities in the United States, such as Cornell University, Columbia University and New York University.
AUP is also accredited by the Delaware Department of Education from whom it has been awarded full Degree Granting Authority. The University is registered in the United States as a 501 (c) (3), a not-for-profit organization.
*Scope of recognition: the accreditation and preaccreditation (“Candidacy status”) of institutions of higher education including distance and correspondence education programs offered at those institutions.
The American University of Paris is declared to the Rectorat de Paris as an établissement d'enseignement supérieur privé, and has maintained this right to ouverture since 1964. Like other officially US-accredited diplomas, AUP's bachelor's degrees are recognized as comparable to the French Licence (BAC+3) for Graduate Studies admission. This allows AUP students to apply for graduate studies within the French higher education system following the completion of their undergraduate degree.
France does not practice foreign diploma recognition but diploma comparison, delivering “attestation de comparabilite” in application of the Lisbon convention on international diploma equivalency.* AUP’s Bachelor of Arts are not French issued diplomas and comparability attestation can be delivered on a case by case basis by applying to the French accrediting body ENIC-NARIC.
*Hyperlink Reference: https://www.ciep.fr/enic-naric-page/comparabilite-vs-equivalence
AUP degrees are also separately recognized by the Ministries of Higher Education in Norway and Turkey.
Complaints to MSCHE:
A person who is considering filing a complaint with MSCHE, institutional accreditor, should read MSCHE's complaint policy "Complaints Involving Member and Candidate Institutions."
Information on how to file a complaint with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) regarding an accredited MSCHE institution can be found on its website.