A whole institution
Accredited college
An accrediting agency reviews the institution as a whole; the college then awards its own credit and degrees.
Your college
Home › Courses › Is UPI Study accredited?
Not an accredited collegeNCCRS and ACE recommendationsACE and NCCRS recommended
Is UPI Study accredited? No. Here is what it has instead.
No: UPI Study is not an accredited college, and it does not award degrees. Its courses carry credit recommendations instead, from NCCRS on every course and also from ACE on 22: each says how much college credit one course is worth, and your college decides whether to award it. Accreditation is for whole institutions; a credit recommendation is for one course.
One course, from NCCRS or ACE
Credit recommendation
Faculty experts review one course and recommend how many semester hours it is worth; a college decides whether to award them.
UPI Study's courses
- UPI Study is
- Not an accredited college
- Its courses carry
- NCCRS (all), ACE (some)
- Who awards the credit
- Your college
What each covers
From the US Department of Education's, NCCRS's and ACE's own pages.
Accreditation
- Covers a whole institution
- Lets it award its own credit and degrees
- Granted by an accrediting agency
Both
- Reviewed by outside experts
- About college-level quality
Credit recommendation
- Covers one course
- Says how many semester hours
- Your college decides
Popular courses to ask about
Side by side
| Accreditation | Credit recommendation | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | A whole college or university | One course |
| Who grants it | An accrediting agency | NCCRS or ACE, with faculty experts |
| What it says | The institution meets quality standards | How much credit the course is worth |
| Who awards the credit | The college itself | The college you send your transcript to |
| UPI Study | Not accredited; awards no degrees | NCCRS on every course, ACE also on 22 |
UPI Study also works in partnership with Qualifi, a UK awarding organisation regulated in England by Ofqual, and has signed agreements with partner universities: University of the People, Thomas Edison State University (TESU), Newlane University and American College of Education. Every course is self-paced, and UPI Study emails your transcript to your college.
What to ask your college
If your college takes NCCRS or ACE credit
- Ask how it files it: transfer credit or prior learning
- Ask whether each course is an equivalent or an elective
- Then request your UPI Study transcript
If it wants a transcript from a university
- Ask whether Excelsior University's OneTranscript would do
- It lists ACE and NCCRS credit on an Excelsior transcript
- Ask before you pay for it
Questions, answered
Is UPI Study accredited?
No. UPI Study is not an accredited college and does not award degrees. Its courses carry credit recommendations from NCCRS, which says of itself “NCCRS is not an accrediting body.” “Credit recommendations become college credit when specific colleges or universities accept and award transfer credit.” The US Department of Education: “Accreditation ensures that institutions of higher education meet acceptable levels of quality.”
What does a credit recommendation mean?
That outside faculty experts reviewed the course and recommend how many semester hours a college could award for it. NCCRS “is a program of the Board of Regents of The University of the State of New York”. ACE tells students to ask each college directly, “Because each college or university makes its own decisions about whether to grant credit”.
Is UPI Study regulated by Ofqual?
No. UPI Study works in partnership with Qualifi, which describes itself as “a recognised UK awarding organisation regulated in England by Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual)”. Ofqual regulates Qualifi, not UPI Study.
Why do some colleges ask for a transcript from an accredited university?
Some take credit only when it appears on a transcript from an accredited university. Excelsior University's OneTranscript can evaluate ACE and NCCRS credit and list it on an Excelsior transcript. Ask your college first whether it needs that, before you pay for it.
Is a credit recommendation the same as transfer credit?
Not until your college awards it. Your college may file it as transfer credit or as credit for prior learning; see CPL vs transfer credit.
Does UPI Study award degrees?
No. UPI Study offers self-paced online courses with credit recommendations. Your degree comes from the college that awards the credit.
Who reviews UPI Study's courses?
NCCRS “coordinates teams of college faculty evaluators and subject matter experts”, and ACE uses “independent teams of subject-matter experts from the faculties of” colleges and universities. ACE recommendations are “re-reviewed every three years”.
Will my college accept UPI Study credit?
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Search your school in Find My College. UPI Study has signed agreements with University of the People, Thomas Edison State University (TESU), Newlane University and American College of Education, and it emails your transcript to your college for you.
Where these credits can go
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Plus many more partner colleges and ACE and NCCRS cooperating colleges.
Find My College →Keep exploring
Check your college first
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Sources (6)
- U.S. Department of Education: College accreditation https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation
- NCCRS: Policies and procedures (Language) https://www.nationalccrs.org/policies-procedures
- NCCRS: About https://www.nationalccrs.org/about
- ACE: Seeking credit https://www.acenet.edu/National-Guide/Pages/Seeking-Credit.aspx
- ACE: The National Guide, for colleges https://www.acenet.edu/National-Guide/Pages/Granting-Credit.aspx
- Qualifi: home page https://www.qualifi.net/
- NCCRS: UPI Study's credit recommendations https://www.nationalccrs.org/organizations/upi-study-inc
UPI Study facts are from our course catalog, syllabi and course rules.