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No institution is required to accept transfer credits from any other school, but accreditation can help. Most colleges will not consider accepting transfer credits if they were earned at a nonaccredited school. Students enrolling in courses and expecting to be able to transfer those credits farther down the road are advised to examine the accreditation of their current college as well as the guidelines of the schools to which they may wish to transfer.

Students interested in applying for and receiving federal financial aid such as Perkins Loans and Pell Grants should note that the U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to hold accreditation if they will be offering financial aid to students. This is also true for several state aid programs.

In some cases, employers view graduates of accredited colleges as more prepared than those who earned their degrees from unaccredited institutions. Accreditation offers employers some assurance that the school has maintained high academic standards and prepares its students with the appropriate level of skills and knowledge. Accreditation may also be required as part of certification or licensure procedures in some fields.

Similar to how employers might view a graduate of an accredited school, graduate school admissions offices may also look more favorably on students who completed accredited undergraduate degree programs. In many cases, graduation from an accredited institution is considered a prerequisite for application and enrollment in graduate-level programs.