Is Southern Evangelical Seminary an accredited institution?
Yes. SES has been fully accredited since 2001 with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools and has gained associate status with the Association of Theological Schools in 2006. Both agencies are recognized by both the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the U. S. Department of Education.SES is listed as accredited in the official book used by institutions to determine accreditation status of schools (The Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education, published by ACE, One DuPont Circle, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036).
Are there different degrees of official recognition for accrediting associations?
No, there are no degrees of accreditation which place one school on a higher level of accreditation than another. All accrediting associations recognized by the Department of Education and CHEA have equal official status.
What is the status of TRACS as an accrediting association?
TRACS is recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov) and CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) (www.CHEA.org), the only two organizations which authorize accrediting associations. As such, it has the same status as the six regional accrediting agencies and every other approved accrediting agency in America. In addition, TRACS is also a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) (www.inqaahe.org).
Does not the fact that some schools accept credits from regionally accredited schools and not from those approved by other accrediting agencies show that there are degrees of accreditation?
No, even credits from colleges and universities that are regionally accredited are not always accepted by other institutions of higher learning that are also regionally accredited. On the other hand, there are many regionally accredited colleges and universities that do accept credits from non-regionally accredited institutions.
Why do some schools not accept credit from other accredited schools?
Currently, there are no laws mandating that credits be accepted from one accredited institution to another. Hence, each school sets its own transfer and admissions policies.
Why is SES not regionally accredited?
At this time SES thinks it is unnecessary. TRACS has the same official recognition as the six regional accrediting agencies; there are numerous schools which, like most TRACS schools, are not regionally accredited. These include the American Dental Association (ADA), the American Bar Association (ABA), and the American Psychological Association (APA). Furthermore, SES students have been able to get into both university and seminary doctoral programs based on the TRACS accreditation.
Why do some persons downgrade schools that are not regionally accredited?
Generally it is because they are not fully informed about accrediting agencies. Others have not been updated on the acceptance of TRACS by CHEA (in 2001) which places them on the same level of recognition with the best universities in the country. Finally, there is some provincialism among accrediting agencies in the absence of any laws mandating the recognition of credits from another institution that is not part of their accrediting agency.
Has graduation from SES been a hindrance in getting into university graduate programs?
Not at all. SES graduates have been accepted into some of the top universities in the world, including Oxford University, the University of Notre Dame, The University of Pittsburgh, Texas A & M University, Marquette University, St. Louis University, Baylor University, University of Oklahoma, Bowling Green University, Univeristy of Colorado, University of South Carolina, University of Wales, University of Kansas, and top seminaries such as Dallas Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.