Accreditation is a review process in which colleges, universities, and other educational institutions are evaluated periodically in order to maintain quality assurance and standards of excellence. Review boards in the US—regional, independent, peer-evaluated organizations—set the standard for accreditation. These review boards are composed of administrators and faculty from other accredited colleges and universities. Areas of evaluation include governance, quality of teaching and curriculum, general services, student services, and facilities.
Colleges that are assessed by accreditation associations are more likely to offer degrees that employers and recruiters recognize. The accreditation process also offers students a better chance of having their credits accepted at other reputable institutions, should they decide to transfer to another college or obtain a graduate or doctoral degree.
American Accreditation
An important factor in having a successful career is choosing a reputable college. The American University of Paris has been continuously accredited since 1973 by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of only six prestigious regional accreditation associations in the United States. The Middle States Commission accredits many other well known universities in the United States, such as Cornell University, Columbia University, and New York University.
AUP is a non-profit educational institution incorporated in the State of Delaware and licensed by the Board of Education as a Delaware institution of higher education. The University is registered in the United States as a 501 (c) (3), a not-for-profit organization.
French and International Recognition
The American University of Paris is declared to the Rectorat de Paris as an établissement privé d'enseignement supérieur libre, and has maintained this right to ouverture since 1964. The Rectorat de Paris has also acknowledged, since 2009, that the undergraduate majors and Master’s programs taught at The American University of Paris are of higher education level (“les formations dispensées par l’établissement American University of Paris sont reconnues de niveau d’enseignement supérieur”), which allows our students to be registered in the French student social security system and to work part-time legally.
AUP degrees are also separately recognized by the Ministries of Higher Education in Norway, and Turkey.