Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

accreditation

American  
[uh-kred-i-tey-shuhn] / əˌkrɛd ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of giving official authority or approval, or the resulting status; certification.

    Today they officially opened the process of accreditation for media wanting to cover World Youth Day.

  2. the act of certifying an educational institution or program as meeting all official formal requirements of academic excellence, facilities, curriculum, etc.; the status of being so certified.

    Universities applying for membership in the association must have undergone, at the national or regional level, a process of quality assurance or accreditation.

  3. the act of attributing or ascribing some quality, status, or action to a person or thing.

    His other poems added to his accreditation as a first-class poet.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of accreditation

accredit ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Accreditation is the act of granting credit or recognition, especially to an educational institution that maintains suitable standards. Accreditation is necessary to any person or institution in education that needs to prove that they meet a general standard of quality. If you earn a teaching certificate, then you have an accreditation to teach. Usually you'll hear this word in relation to institutions like colleges and universities.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing accreditation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Accreditation is voluntary - seven companies have signed up - and a private broker doesn't need it to operate legally.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025

Under the new method, which took effect on 1 January, the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency will also consider a range of research outputs besides papers—for example, patents and exhibitions—along with the work’s social impact.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 10, 2024

Instead, the residents went to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education — elevating grievances that had roiled the teaching hospital for years to a body with the power to shut down the entire facility.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2023

Accreditation certifies that a college meets academic standards recognized by the Department of Education.

From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2023

Accreditation agencies translate concerns about the quality of education into requirements, such as the evaluation of colleges and universities based on scores on exit tests taken by students.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai