Start with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s official databases and directories. It provides separate routes for institutions, programmes and accrediting organisations. For a college or university name, begin with Search Institutions; for a particular course’s accreditation, consider Search Programs.
Read CHEA’s About Accreditation before interpreting a result. Institutional accreditation and programme accreditation are different levels of review. Match the exact institution and programme you intend to study rather than extending one claim across every course carrying the same university name.
Did you know? CHEA says database information comes from accrediting organisations, whose reporting schedules vary. Its search pages direct users to the accreditor’s website for the most current information. Treat the directory as a route to evidence—not a ranking, an admission decision or a promise of recognition in Singapore.
Find your next step
Choose the CHEA search · Check institution, programme and accreditor · Follow the evidence to its source
Which official source should I use?
| Your question | Official source | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| I need to check a university name | CHEA Search Institutions | The exact institution and location, with the named accreditor. |
| I need programme-level evidence | CHEA Search Programs | Programme type, institution and relevant accrediting organisation. |
| I need the accreditor route | CHEA directories | Use Search Accreditors, not only the institution’s marketing claim. |
| I need to understand the distinction | CHEA About Accreditation | Institutional and programme review, and recognition of accreditors. |
How should I use CHEA’s searches carefully?
Write down the claim you are checking before opening a search. Is it about the whole college, a professional programme, or the organisation said to have accredited it? Each question needs its own matching evidence.
Search the institution you will actually attend
The institution search includes name and location fields. CHEA’s introductory guidance suggests beginning with the institution’s name; its directories also provide a distinct programme search. Read any terms presented before continuing to the database.
Keep the official course page beside the result and compare the campus and institution identity. A recruitment page may use an abbreviated brand, while the formal record uses another name. If the match is uncertain, ask the institution for its exact accreditor and the relevant official record instead of choosing the closest-looking result.
Do not make programme accreditation university-wide
CHEA’s explanation separates organisations reviewing institutions from those reviewing programmes. The presence of both search routes is useful: a question about a particular professional course should not be answered only with a broad institutional label.
For example, our ABET accredited-programme search guide explains a specific programme-level tool. Use the relevant accreditor for the discipline you are considering. Check the award level, programme title and study arrangement, and ask whether the evidence covers your particular course rather than another offering at the same university.
Check who recognises the accrediting organisation
CHEA’s database explanation distinguishes accreditation of an institution or programme from recognition of an accreditor. The database includes accreditors recognised by CHEA, the US Department of Education, or both; those labels should not be collapsed into one undifferentiated badge.
Follow the named accreditor’s own public information and read the scope carefully. Do not assume a logo on an agent’s page identifies the body responsible for the course. If the name or claim cannot be matched, keep it unresolved until you obtain a clear answer from the responsible organisation.
Keep currency and your intended outcome separate
CHEA warns that database reporting schedules vary and recommends checking the accreditor’s website for current information. It also says inclusion in the database is not an endorsement by CHEA. Save the source and the date on which you checked it.
Then ask the body deciding your actual next step. A receiving university, employer or professional regulator may need different evidence. Our overseas degree recognition guide explains that wider distinction; do not turn a directory search into a universal statement about employment, transfer credit or professional registration.
What should I do next?
Identify whether your question is institutional or programme-specific, use the appropriate CHEA route and follow through to the named accreditor. Record the exact course and any unresolved mismatch before making a study decision. No individual institution or programme is being certified by this guide.
Continue through the Singapore school pathways collection for connected education decisions.
Related university source-checking guides
Where Can Singapore Students Find University Quality-Assurance Reports in DEQAR?
Where Can Singapore Students Search German Degree Programmes on Hochschulkompass?
Where Can Singapore Students Find France’s Mon Master Course Catalogue?
CHEA’s public directory routes, accreditation explanation and database guidance reviewed on 20 October 2026. Check the accreditor’s current information and the relevant recipient’s requirements.