Neldys Fuentes

In brief, the state licensing board licenses non-public postsecondary institutions. Licensing is required. Accreditation is voluntary. There are national accreditation bodies such as ACCET or COE and there is regional accreditation. There are certain requirements in order to be accredited by each type of accrediting board. There is also programmatic accreditation. This means the program has met rigorous guidelines and has been granted accreditation status. If yours is an acupuncture institution, for example, it may be accredited by the board that accredits acupuncture programs.

Student services are often as important as the educational programs. Student services prepare students to be successful and provide assistance throughout the student's experience at your institution. Student services vary from institution to institution. You already know about placement assistance and career services, but this is only one component of student services. Locate the catalog, policies and procedures and/or operations manuals and other materials to learn who staffs the Student Services Department and where it is located.

The institution catalog and enrollment agreement are among the documents that have been approved by the Florida Commission for Independent Education and they must follow the Fair Consumer Practices Statutes and Rules. Therefore the admissions requirements should be complete, consistent, and appropriate for the programs you offer. If there are some requirements that you do not understand, it is important that you ask for clarification from your supervisor or institution director.

The institution catalog provides an overview about your institution. It includes information about the institution's history, all the information about the programs, tuition and expenses, student services rules and regulations, and more. Ask for a copy for your notebook. Be sure you know where a supply of current catalogs is and any updated addenda.