The Cost Of Accreditation For Small, Private Institutions Of Higher Education

Abstract

Accreditation of institutions of higher education is costly but critical to the survival of colleges in the United States. This study investigates the full costs of accreditation at two, small, private institutions of Higher Education. In this study, an indirect-cost template and direct-cost survey are used to estimate the full costs of accreditation, and structured interviews are used to investigate the system, processes, and costs of accreditation. The resulting estimates indicate that total accreditation costs account for about 0.13% of these institutions’ operating budgets per year, during the four- year accreditation period. This study provides a systematic methodology for the estimation of the full costs of accreditation.