Applying for and seeking admission to the most suitable university for your needs can seem like a confusing process. You may wonder, what are the best parameters to judge the university on? This is where rankings and accreditation come in. Are rankings and accreditation related? Not completely. They are similar in nature i.e they are parameters on which a university can be judged, but they differ greatly in characteristics, all of which we will tell you about in detail in this article with the help of a comparative analysis of ranking and accreditation.
The aim of education rankings and accreditations is to assess objectively the quality of academic programs in various universities and the quality of the university overall. Neither should be the sole criteria for the decision to select a college, but the role of accreditation and ranking can be very helpful in helping you find the study program and university best suited to your needs and potential. Looking at the position of the university in different ranking lists and its levels of accreditation can aid this process. Since the two concepts vary, it is important to understand the difference between rankings and accreditation to use them effectively in your college or university selection process for different fields like business, science, etc.
Comparative Analysis of Ranking and Accreditation-
Accreditation
Are rankings and accreditation related? Well, accreditation is actually the process through which a university is given official recognition by a government body or other authorities. Accredited degrees are always a better option than non-accredited ones as such degrees are not considered valid by most companies. Universities are accredited through objective third-party agencies which have an intricate system of reviewing the quality of the university. If the said institute meets all the rigorous standards and expectations of the university, it is given the seal of approval along with a grade in ranking. Usually, A-graded universities are considered to be superior in quality. You can use different accreditation grades to compare universities, and so do your potential employers to judge your resumes. And most importantly, in many countries, university accreditation is a necessary requirement for the issuance of a valid degree. This is the main difference between rankings and accreditation, as this point is not applicable to rankings.
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Universities may be accredited directly by a state or national level government body or by the field’s own recognized central body. Examples- UGC, NAAC, AICTE, American Medical Association, American Bar Association, etc.
Rankings | Are Rankings And Accreditation Related?
Ranking refers to the process by which various universities in a country or the world are compared to each other and ranked accordingly from best to worst based on various factors and parameters. The ranking is done with the help of a listing method by both government bodies and private bodies like QS university rankings, Forbes rankings, and Times higher education rankings which are quite popular. Such rankings help students to select the best institutes to study in. However, it is important to understand how the rankings are developed and how various universities are judged to make an informed decision for admission.
Different types of rankings benefit different students of different fields. There are usually different ranking lists for the universities of the arts, science, and commerce fields. Such rankings are usually refined every year to give students the latest updates and information. Students must decide which criteria are important for them to make a decision for admission and then judge the rankings accordingly.
Some of the common criteria for ranking include statistics like faculty to student ratio, student diversity, and also qualitative parameters like surveys and interviews with the students and alumni.
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Educational rankings and accreditation are thus vital parameters on the basis of which a university is judged.
We hope that you have understood the concepts of accreditation and rankings by now as well as the differences between them, the role of accreditation and ranking, and received clarity on the question- are rankings and accreditation related? As a prospective student, you should do thorough research about the accreditations and rankings of the universities you apply to, to make the best decision for your education and future. We wish you all the very best!
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