The United States has a large, diverse, and decentralized education system. Our federal government has a very limited role in administering education at any level. State governments, local and institutional authorities, and non-governmental organizations have major roles. USNEI has compiled several sets of resources to assist you in dealing with questions about our system that pertain to recognition and mobility. You may open these documents and link directly to the information sources, or you may print the pages and use them later.
For a general description of U.S. education, go to the publication Education in the United States: A Brief Overview.
For a comprehensive directory of federal and state agencies and organizations (sorted by topic), go to the Education Resource Organizations Directory (EROD).
For a directory of the major higher education associations, go to the Washington Higher Education Secretariat (WHES) 
.
Organization of U.S. Education provides information and links on the role of federal, state, local and institutional authorities.
Structure of U.S. Education provides information and links about U.S. qualifications, education levels, grading and credit systems.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance provides information and links related to how quality assurance is overseen and to recognized accrediting agencies.
Diploma Mills and Fraud [MS Word, 92K] provides information and links on the problems of unaccredited institutions, bogus accreditors and how to identify and avoid them.
U.S. Institutions and Programs provides information and links to recognized U.S. schools, higher education institutions and academic and professional bodies.
Return to Education in the United States