What does CHEA recognition mean?

Q: What does CHEA recognition mean?

A: In addition to the recognition by the U.S. Department of Education for the purposes of federal student aid eligibility and quality assurance, the AVMA Council on Education (COE) is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).  CHEA is a national association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and serves as a national advocate for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation. The council currently recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations in the United States.

Like USDE recognition, the CHEA recognition process is voluntary. The COE was recognized by a CHEA precursor, the National Commission on Accrediting, in 1949 and has been recognized continuously since then.  Recognition by CHEA “affirms that standards and processes of accrediting organizations are consistent with quality, improvement, and accountability expectations that CHEA has established.” Recognition by CHEA involves a peer-review process to ensure that the accrediting agency meets a number of strict criteria.  The Council completed a full CHEA recognition review in 2011 with no deficiencies.  A mid-term review was completed in June 2015; once again, recognition was continued with no deficiencies.