Cyprus Council for the Recognition of Qualifications of Study

In the US, many universities have chosen autonomy/self-regulation and have not joined the mandatory central control of the state education system. The idea of central control by the US government in higher education was rejected in favor of a system of voluntary regional accreditation organizations. Membership in any of the various US regional accreditation organizations is strictly voluntary. Regional accreditation organizations are private. They are not owned by the US government or the US Department of Education.

The main reason universities choose central government control is to have loans, grants, etc.

Westbrook, like many other universities, has chosen not to be part of the federal treasury, and for good reasons. Westbrook went through part 4 of 7 with the RA (Regional Accreditation) to find out that they wanted their tuition to be $485.00 per credit hour, which is not part of Westbrook's mission of "Affordable Education." This does not take away from the rigor or quality of the education. Westbrook follows the mandates of the U.S. Department of Education and exceeds them. Being a distance learning school, they are more stringent with Westbrook than a centrally controlled university.

Westbrook must maintain a functioning library of over 7000 volumes, maintain print records for 50 years, and the facility must exceed their Faculty and Staff Development standards every 2 years, while other schools only have to report every 5 years. Westbrook is the equal of any university in terms of core curriculum, rigor, quality, and proficiency.