The First Coast Higher Education Alliance (FCHEA), established in 2005, stands as an educational resource for the communities of North Florida and South Georgia. Comprised of regionally accredited colleges and universities, FCHEA actively collaborates to elevate awareness of the extensive higher education and professional development opportunities available in our region. We host impactful educational expos and fairs across the Greater Jacksonville Area, offering organizations a central location for their employees or members to explore their options for growth. These events foster a welcoming atmosphere for attendees to engage directly with representatives from various institutions, ensuring they find the best fit their individual aspirations.
That Value of Regional Accreditation
Frequently Asked Questions about Regional Accreditation
What is Accreditation?
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Accreditation is a process of quality assurance and review that institutions participate in, generally on a voluntary basis. Accrediting associations are most often groups of like institution whose purpose is to establish standards by which appropriate practice can be judged.
What is the value of Accreditation?
Accreditation is a symbol of the quality of an institution's education programs. Accreditation indicates both an intuition's compliance with the standards held by accrediting bodies and the reasonable grounds for believing it will continue to meet them.
What is Regional Accreditation?
Regional accreditation is an institutional level accreditation status granted by one of six U.S. regional accrediting bodies. According to the Higher Learning Commission, this type of accreditation evaluates the institution as a whole, assessing "formal education activity" as well as governance and administration, financial stability, admissions and student personnel services, institutional resources, student academic achievement, institutional effectiveness and relationships with constituencies inside and outside the institution.
Is one Regional Accreditation better than another?
Each accrediting body oversees the colleges and universities that operate in its geographic region. No one regional agency is rated higher than another.
Regional Accreditation Agencies
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Higher Learning Commission (HLC): North Central region (e.g., Midwest states).
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Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE): Middle States region (e.g., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, D.C.).
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New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE): New England region (e.g., Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont).
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Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU): Northwest region (e.g., Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming).
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Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC): Southern region (e.g., Southeastern states).
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Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC): Western Region
CitiBank
City of Jacksonville
Comcast
Concentrix
CSX
Florida Blue
Gerdau Ameristeel
Jacksonville Electric Authority
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Landstar
Mayo Clinic
Medtronic
Optum Rx
HCA Orange Park
HCA Memorial
Ascension St. Vincent's
TIAA Bank
UF Health
UPS
USPS
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