There are two types of U.S. institutions operating outside the United States: those that operate independently and do not have a U.S. campus, and those that are part of, or in some other way closely connected with, a U.S.-based institution.

U.S. universities and colleges that are located outside the United States and do not have a U.S. campus can apply for accreditation by recognized U.S. accrediting bodies. They will be included in the list of accredited institutions or programs that each accrediting body maintains, usually in a special section for institutions outside the United States. These institutions will have to meet the same accreditation standards, and will have the same level of recognition, as any accredited U.S. institution located inside the United States.

Institutions that are part of a U.S.-based college or university, or that are in some other way affiliated with an institution in the United States, are known as branch campuses. Institutional accrediting bodies will incorporate branch campuses outside the United States within their accreditation of U.S. institutions. However, to be eligible for inclusion in their accreditation, the branch campus must meet the following criteria and procedures:

• Any degrees earned at the branch campus must be clearly conferred by the U.S. institution.
• The branch campus must be able to offer the same quality and level of instruction as the home campus in the United States, and it must be possible for students to take 50 percent or more of the credits toward the U.S. degree or complete their program at the branch campus site.
• The branch campus site must undergo the same process of self-study, visitation, and consideration by the accrediting body as the home campus.
• The branch campus must be subject to the academic governance of the U.S. campus.
• U.S. institutions must inform the accrediting body before establishing a branch, and that branch must be visited within six months of starting operations to ensure its conformity to the accrediting body’s regulations.

Sometimes accredited U.S. colleges and universities form agreements with institutions in other countries to offer their degree programs on those institutions’ campuses outside the United States. In these situations, the degree program can be considered a branch campus for accreditation purposes as long as it is possible to complete the full degree at the host institution outside the United States, and the degree is clearly conferred by the U.S. university or college.

If you have any doubt about the accreditation status of a U.S. institution or a U.S. degree program offered in your home country, contact the accrediting body of the institution in the United States directly, or speak to a U.S. educational information or advising center for further advice. Remember that credits and degrees earned at such an institution will be treated as foreign credentials by your government and evaluated according to the same criteria used in accepting credits from a campus in the United States.