The US Department of Education has compiled a database of Accredited Colleges and Institutions that have passed their basic check for valid accreditation.

This database should be used by you when you are applying to colleges and trade schools.

What is very important to understand is that even education institutions with a large student base may not pass accreditation or may lose it and when this happens students diplomas and certifications are meaningless.

Because there are so many diploma mill institutions and trade and other schools that fail to live up to basic accreditation standards this database was developed to give you a fighting chance to know if the institution you are about to attend will give you an education that you can use in your career.

To make use of the Database open this link in a new browser.

http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.asp

Note that this database does not claim to judge the quality of education at these institutions it is just a very basic check to show that the school has passed the very minimum standards of an accredited educational institution.