ALLIANCE OF THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS ACCREDITING & LICENSING COMMISSION
The ATSAC accrediting Commission is a nonprofit, non political organization dedicated to making a significant contribution to the promotion of Christian education everywhere. We are governed by a Board of Directors, all of whom are reputable born-again Christians. The ATSAC accrediting Commission was founded to:
- Upgrade standards of scholarship among evangelical educational institutions.
- To award certificates of accreditation to deserving schools.
- To continue to monitor compliance with set standards.
Anyone making an effort to motivate people to study the Scriptures is to be highly commended; and those inspired by God to found a Bible school certainly deserves recognition. The production of your curriculum and the development of your programs can represent years of labor intensive work. Starting a Bible Institute is a very great accomplishment, and accreditation is the public crowning of that achievement.
Of course, every Theological Seminary was unknown when it first began, and it usually requires years of consistent performance to build a good reputation. Christian educational institutions need all the credibility that they can get, but it’s usually difficult to become nationally known. But with some outside assistance you can become more widely know faster.
In the commercial world of today, consumers have learned that all is not what it appears to be so “buyer beware.” Likewise, if a student is going to expend time, effort, and money to obtain a degree, it is particularly important to know of the legitimacy, integrity, and prestige of the institution from which it comes. And how can a prospective student know if the school he is considering is of good quality or not? Well, they realize that an outside viewpoint is more likely to be objective. So, an accrediting agency is a kind of consumer protection agency in the field of education to ensure as far as possible that a school is what it says it is and does what it says it does.
So the first question in the mind of an informed prospective student is, “Is your school accredited, and by whom?”
All other things being equal, a smart prospective student would definitely prefer an accredited school over an unaccredited one. Accreditation also assures other schools, agencies, and organizations that you school:
- Has appropriately and clearly defined objectives,
- That you offer valid programs and meet with acceptable standards in the world of education.
- That what you promise, you deliver.