Generally, online colleges and universities are held to the same standards as traditional postsecondary institutions. The best kind of accreditation for online schools and traditional schools to aim for is regional accreditation. The six regional accrediting councils, as listed on the site for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation are the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Another widely known and recognized accrediting council is the Accrediting Council of Independent College and Schools (ACICS). It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by CHEA as an organization that is able to evaluate and grant accreditation to postsecondary schools at the certificate, associate, bachelor’s and master’s level for vocational and technical programs. The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) is an accrediting agency that only grants accreditation to distance education colleges and universities. The DETC is recognized by CHEA and the U.S. Department of Education as a reliable, qualified accrediting agency. Many of the institutions accredited by the DETC are also known to be cost effective when it come to comparing tuition for distance and online schools.