Under the terms of the Higher Education Act and other Federal legislation providing funding assistance to postsecondary education, an institution or program is eligible to apply for participation in certain Federal programs if, in addition to meeting other statutory requirements, it is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or if it is an institution or program with respect to which the U.S. Secretary of Education has determined that there is satisfactory assurance the institution or program will meet the accreditation standards of such an agency or association within a reasonable time. An institution of program may establish satisfactory assurance of accreditation by acquiring preaccreditation status with a nationally recognized agency that has been recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education for the award of such status. According to the Criteria for Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies, if an accrediting agency has developed a preaccreditation status, it must demonstrate that it applies criteria and follows procedures that are appropriately related to those used to award accreditation status. The criteria for recognition also require an agency's standards for preaccreditation to permit an institution or program to hold preaccreditation no more than five years.

The following is a list of accrediting agencies recognized for their preaccreditation categories and the categories that are recognized:

Regional Institutional Accrediting Agencies

MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS--
Commission on Higher Education: Candidate for Accreditation

NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES:
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education: Candidate for Accreditation
Commission on Technical and Career Institutions: Candidate for Accreditation

NORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS--
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education: Candidate for Accreditation
Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, Board of Trustees

NORTHWEST COMMISSION ON COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS--
Commission on Colleges: Candidate for Accreditation

WESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES--
Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges: Candidate for Accreditation
Accrediting Commission for Schools: Candidate for Accreditation
Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities: Candidate for Accreditation

National Institutional and Specialized Accrediting Bodies

ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR PHARMACY EDUCATION: Candidate, Precandidate

AMERICAN ACADEMY FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION: Candidate for Accreditation

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY
Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education: Candidacy

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF NURSE-MIDWIVES
Division of Accreditation: Preaccreditation

AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION--
Council on Optometric Education: Reasonable Assurance and Preliminary Approval (for professional degree programs);
Candidacy Pending (for optometric residency programs in Veterans' Administration facilities)

AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION--
Bureau of Professional Education: Provisional Accreditation

AMERICAN PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION--
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education: Candidate for Accreditation

AMERICAN PODIATRIC ASSOCIATION--
Council on Podiatric Medical Education: Candidate Status

AMERICAN SPEECH-LANGUAGE-HEARING ASSOCIATION--
Council on Academic Accreditation: Candidate Status

AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION--
Council on Education: Reasonable Assurance

ASSOCIATION FOR BIBLICAL HIGHER EDUCATION--
Commission on Accrediting: Candidate for Accreditation

ASSOCIATION OF ADVANCED RABBINICAL AND TALMUDIC SCHOOLS--
Accreditation Commission: Correspondent, Candidate

COMMISSION ON ACCREDITING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS: Candidate for Accredited Membership

COUNCIL ON EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Preaccreditation

COUNCIL ON NATUROPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION: Pre-accreditation

COUNCIL ON OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION: Candidate for Accreditation

MIDWIFERY EDUCATION ACCREDITATION COUNCIL: Preaccreditation

TEACHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION COUNCIL
Accreditation Committee: Pre-accreditation

TRANSNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS: Candidate for Accreditation