Accreditation is a review process to determine if educational institutions meet defined standards of quality. Once achieved, accreditation is not permanent—it is renewed periodically to ensure that the quality of the educational programs is maintained.

In the United States, academic accreditation is voluntary, decentralized, and carried out by many nongovernmental, non-profit organizations. The process of academic accreditation typically culminates in an external quality review by a team of professional experts from academe or industry. These experts volunteer their time, professional knowledge, and experience to this process of quality assurance and ongoing improvement to education in their disciplines.

In other countries, accreditation may be required or governmental. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) provides information about accreditation and quality assurance in countries outside of the United States.