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Accreditation
An external review of an institution's competency in meeting its standards for student performance. It is a process in which a peer review team measures, assesses, and evaluates a school's proficiency in maintaining high standards and then bestows certification on the institution if it meets the relevant standards. Since the early 20th century, a number of professions have taken on accreditation standards through oversight bodies. Among the most important are universities and the health care professions. Practitioners in each field adopt their own standards of accreditation, and some are required to do so by state and/or federal governments.