Accredited Colleges/Universities

Accredited institution of higher education means a community college, college, or university that is accredited by an accrediting association recognized by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education as defined in WAC-250-61-050 and as amended by the WSAC (See WAC 181-79A-030). 

How can I check for accreditation?
There are several methods available. We recommend checking several sources to double-check the reliability of the first:

• Ask the college/university to identify whether they are accredited, and if so, by which accrediting body.
• List of accrediting agencies approved by Washington Student Achievement Council

What if I was educated in another country?
If you are from another country, you may have your college transcript evaluated to determine US-equivalency. With the equivalent of a bachelor's degree and completion of a teacher preparation program, you should qualify for a Residency Certificate.

Transcript Evaluation Services

After a review of foreign evaluation services, state practices of foreign evaluation, transcript and class translations, OSPI has decided to amend the evaluation services approved by the certification office of OSPI. As of September 11, 2008, OSPI will accept translation services from members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Institution of Foreign Credential Services. (Excluding Canada) Visit NACES website for information regarding NACES, membership criteria, and NACES' guiding principles of good practice for educational credential evaluation.

A NAFSA Guide to Selecting a Foreign Credentials Evaluation Service