Accreditation and Affiliations

Accreditation and Certification

Grantham University has been continuously accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) since 1961. All online programs of instruction offered by Grantham have been examined by independent objective subject matter experts and have been found to meet or exceed the Accrediting Commission’s published academic and ethical standards.

The Accrediting Commission of DETC was founded in 1955 and is presently listed (and has been since 1959) by the U.S. Department of Education as a “nationally recognized accrediting agency.” DETC’s Accrediting Commission is reviewed periodically by the U.S. Department of Education and is also recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a non-governmental agency that reviews and recognizes agencies that accredit degree-granting institutions.

Like the regional accrediting agencies, the DETC Accrediting Commission undergoes reviews by the Department of Education to make certain that it meets the criteria for federal recognition as published in Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This recognition criteria is the same for national accrediting agencies and regional agencies.

Grantham is certified to operate as an institution of higher learning by the Missouri Department of Higher Education, the authority by which Grantham confers degrees. Grantham is also licensed/registered/approved/certified/authorized in the following states as follows: authorized under the State of Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Institutions Act of 1990; licensed as an institution of higher education by the State of Louisiana Board of Regents; registered as an accredited private postsecondary education institution by the State of Wyoming Department of Education.

Additional Information and Resources on Accreditation:

• The Value of Accreditation, Council for Higher Education Accreditation
• Exploding the Myths about DETC Accreditation, The Distance Education and Training Council
• Voluntary Education and Accreditation, by Gary Woods, former Chief of DoD’s Voluntary Education Program
• Fundamentals of Accreditation, Council for Higher Education Accreditation
• United States Department of Education, Office of Post Secondary Education

The Importance of Accreditation

Accreditation is a process that gives public recognition to an institution that meets established standards. According to the DETC, accreditation is “a process whereby an accrediting body grants public recognition to an institution as having met certain standards.” As such, accreditation assures you, the student, that the institution operates on a sound financial basis, has an approved program of study, qualified instructors, adequate facilities and equipment, and approved recruitment and admissions policies.

Licensure

Grantham is licensed as an institution of higher education by the State of Louisiana Board of Regents. Grantham is also certified to operate as an institution of higher learning by the Missouri Department of Higher Education, the authority by which Grantham confers degrees.

U.S. Secretary of Education

Postsecondary Educational Institutions and Programs Accredited by Accrediting Agencies and State Approval Agencies Recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Affiliations

ACE 
Grantham University is an institutional member of the American Council on Education (ACE).  ACE is the nation’s umbrella higher education association. Institutional membership is limited to nationally or regionally accredited colleges or universities.

Better Business Bureau
Since 2007, Grantham University has been a BBB Accredited business with an A+ approval rating. This rating reflects Grantham’s dedication and service to the public and meeting the BBB Accrediation standards. Click here to view page .

USDLA 
Grantham University is a member of the United States Distance Learning Association. USDLA, a nonprofit organization, was formed in 1987 to promote the development and application of distance learning for education and training.

The Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)

The Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) is a consortium of national higher education associations that function in cooperation with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Military Services including the National Guard and the Coast Guard to help meet voluntary higher education needs of service members.

Hundreds of thousands of service members, civilian employees of DoD, the Military Services including the National Guard, the Coast Guard, and family members enroll annually in programs offered by more than one thousand colleges, universities, and postsecondary occupational and technical institutions.  These voluntary programs are a significant joint venture and require strong commitment and coordination among academic institutions and agencies, the Military
Services including the National Guard, the Coast Guard and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).

SOC is a vehicle to help coordinate voluntary postsecondary educational opportunities for service members. SOC does this by:

• Seeking to stimulate and help the higher education community to understand and respond to special needs of service members
• Advocating the flexibility needed to improve access to and availability of educational programs for service-members
• Helping the Military Services including the National Guard, and the Coast Guard understand the resources, limits, and requirements of higher education
• Helping the higher education community understand the resources, limits, and requirements of the Military Services including the National Guard, and the Coast Guard
• Seeking to strengthen liaison and working relationships among military and higher education representatives

Grantham has been designated as a SOC institution committed to serving the educational needs of service members and their families.  As a member of the SOC Consortium, Grantham commits itself to fully support and comply with the SOC Principles and Criteria.  Grantham ensures that:

• Service members and their families share in the postsecondary educational opportunities available to other citizens.
• Service members and their families are provided with accredited educational programs, courses and services.
• Flexibility of programs and procedures, particularly in admissions, counseling, credit transfer, course articulations, recognition of nontraditional learning experiences, scheduling, course format and residency requirements are provided to enhance the access of service members and their families to higher education programs.

A military student is advised to contact his/her Education Services Officer for more information on the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges and to visit http://www.soc.aascu.org/.

The National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services

Grantham University is an institutional member of The National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services (NAIMES) (http://www.naimes.org/).  NAIMES is committed to promoting high quality, pedagogically sound educational opportunities for the military community. NAIMES endorses the ideals of voluntary education and in so doing represents a wide range of colleges and universities.