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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reaccreditation
  noun

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.

Related Words

• certificate
• credential
• license
• passport
• permission
• permit
• pledge
• sanction
• subpoena
• summons
• ticket