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Accreditation of U.S. Schools in Spain
6 MINUTE READ
August 8, 2023

Primary and secondary schools

The U.S. Embassy in Spain does not issue diplomatic certification of the validity of instruction performed by primary and secondary educational institutions, given that, in the United States’s federal system, there are no specific federal laws or regulations governing the recognition of accrediting agencies that accredit primary and secondary schools.  As a result, the U.S. Embassy cannot comply with Real Decreto 806/1993.  This has previously been communicated to the Spanish government.

In the United States, some states have laws requiring or encouraging accreditation for public schools and state-chartered private schools. Schools that possess state approval and, where it is required, accreditation recognized at the state level are generally considered to be recognized schools in the U.S. education system.  States approve or license, and in some cases accredit, public and private schools operating within their jurisdictions.

The U.S. Department of State does maintain a list of education and international school associations, which may be useful to you as you search for guidance on how to pursue your interest in creating a school based on the U.S. education system.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education’s “State Contacts” website provides links to the websites of state-level departments of education, where information on school accreditation can be found.

Universities

The U.S. Embassy in Spain does not issue diplomatic certification of the validity of instruction performed by post-secondary educational institutions, given that, in the United States of America there is no legislation or legal recognition of the validity of studies or degrees issued by universities or postsecondary education centers.  This has previously been communicated to the Spanish government.

Unlike in Spain, in the U.S. it is not up to federal authorities to control the establishment or quality of universities, functions that are carried out by independent accreditation agencies.  Both the federal government, which this Embassy represents, and the state governments recognize the accreditation system as the mechanism that legitimizes higher education institutions and their programs.

We recommend consultation of the webpage of the U.S. Department of Education where our system is explained in detail:

Accreditation in the United States

Accreditation in the United States: National Recognition of State Approval Agencies by the U.S. Secretary of Education

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