Resources
The Expectations for Accreditation (Standards), which are detailed in the Accreditation Manual and further explained in various other TRACS publications, have been established by the Accreditation Commission of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). These Expectations are listed under sixteen Accreditation Requirements (Standards 1-16) and under specific Federal Requirements (Standard 17). These Standards are designed to guide institutions from initial application through the periodic reassessment process required of accredited institutions and thus apply to institutions seeking Candidate (Pre-Accredited) status, Accredited status and Reaffirmation of Accredited status.
​A concise overview of the process of accreditation from initial inquiry to achieving recognized status.
A resource for institutions engaging in the Self-Study process to assist in producing the Self-Study report.
A comprehensive collection of policies and procedures for
TRACS providing guidance to institutions.
IERs are standards associated with the TRACS and Federal Requirements with which an institution must demonstrate compliance in order to be accepted as an Applicant.
CHEA, AACRAO, ACE: Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit.
A complete listing of 17 standards from the TRACS commission which establish expectations and guide institutions in the accreditation process.
An explanation of the evaluative criteria applied to each standard and typical documentation institutions may use to establish compliance.
For use in the self-study process as well as other required activities.
Final Accreditation and State Authorization regulations.
Complaints
Click here for information regarding the TRACS Complaint Policy and the procedures for the submission of an official complaint.
Important Links
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation serves its members, students, and society through advocacy for the value and independence of accreditation, recognition of accrediting organizations and commitment to quality in higher education.
The US Department of Education is promoting educational excellence for all Americans.
ABACC is improving the standard of business management in schools of Christian Higher Education by providing professional development, networking and mutual support to their business leadership.
Degree Mills and Accreditation Mills
One critical issue in higher education today which TRACS wishes to bring to the attention of our institutions, is the emergence of Degree Mills and Accreditation Mills.
Degree mills are bogus educational institutions that claim to offer certificates and/or degrees, though they have no basis in sound educational practices. These operations are intended to take money from students under the pretense of receiving a recognized degree, when, in fact, many of these operations open and close quickly or move from state to state to avoid legal actions from those who have taken advantage of their promised services.
Accreditation Mills provide accreditation to institutions without the quality assurance of recognition by either the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In our efforts to protect both our institutions and potential students, TRACS would like to refer to the following CHEA website for a more complete source of information regarding both of these types or organizations:
The CHEA Website contains five major sections.
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The first section provides links to information about institutions and programs that are accredited by recognized U.S. accrediting organizations.
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The second section includes links to material on how accreditation operates and how to look for organizations that may be accreditation mills.
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The third section focuses on degree mills: links to potentially pertinent information and information on how degree mills may be identified.
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The fourth section provides links to state-by-state information on institutions and programs authorized to operate in the respective states. Some of these states also provide information about entities they believe to be degree mills.
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The fifth section contains links to international directories of higher education institutions.