Accredited Colleges/Universities
Accredited institution of higher education means a community college, college, or university which is a candidate for accreditation or is accredited by one of the accredited institution as defined in WAC 250-61-050 and as amended by the Washington student achievement council. (See WAC 181-78A-010)
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) For information regarding NACES, membership criteria, and NACES' guiding principles of good practice for educational credential evaluation, please visit http://www.naces.org
A NAFSA Guide to Selecting a Foreign Credentials Evaluation Service