Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities

{{Short description|Accreditor of educational institutions in the Philippines}}

{{Infobox organization

|name = Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities

|abbreviation = PAASCU

|logo = Logo of the PAASCU.svg

|logo_size = 150px

|logo_caption = The association's logo

|formation = {{start date and age|1957|11|05}}

|type = {{hlist|Higher education accreditation|Nonprofit organization}}

|headquarters = The Tower at Emerald Square, Rizal corner Tuazon Streets, Quezon City, Metro Manila 1109 Philippines

|founder = Bro. Hyacinth Gabriel Connon, FSC

|leader_title = President

|leader_name = Bro. Edmundo L. Fernandez {{small|FSC}}

|homepage = {{official URL}}

}}

The Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) is a private, voluntary, non-profit and non-stock corporation which was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines. It is a service organization that accredits academic programs which meet commonly accepted standards of quality education.

PAASCU is an accrediting body composed of different private educational institutions that stamp other private schools with a quality standard attained with regard to their programs.

History

File:ConnonHall.jpg, president of De La Salle University (DLSU) and the CEAP when PAASCU was established in 1957.]]

PAASCU was established in November 5, 1957 as a private, voluntary, non-profit and non-stock corporation. Under the suggestion of Bro. Hyacinth Gabriel Connon, F.S.C., the president of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) in 1953, the CEAP came to the conclusion that standards needed to be created to improve Catholic education in the country. A Manual of Accreditation with self-survey forms was crafted for eight different areas: Purposes and Objectives, Faculty, Instruction, Library, Laboratories, Physical Plant, Student Services, and Administration. The CEAP established an accreditation committee to form the accreditation association and its standards.{{Cite web|title=PAASCU Handbook on Accreditation|url= https://paascu.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PAASCU-Handbook-on-Accreditation-.pdf|date=2012-06-13}} With the help of Fr. James Meany, S.J. and other key supporters, the PAASCU was established with Fr. Meany as its inaugural president in 1957.{{Cite web|title=History of PAASCU|url=https://paascu.org.ph/index.php/about-2/|date=March 1, 2025}} The Bureau of Education and Culture (now the Department of Education) formally endorsed PAASCU as an accrediting agency in November 1967.{{cite web|url=http://paascu.org.ph/home2012/?page_id=8|title=What is PAASCU}}

In 1977 the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines was established and one of its three founding members was PAASCU.

In 1991 the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) was established and one of its founding members was PAASCU. The INQAAHE is an international association of over 200 organizations that are active in theory and practice of quality assurance higher education.{{cite web|url=http://www.inqaahe.org/main/about-inqaahe|title=About INQAAHE}}

PAASCU is also one of the founding members of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN). The APQN was established with the purpose of satisfying the needs of quality assurance agencies in higher education. PAASCU has since led the way in that regard.{{cite web|url=http://www.apqn.org|title=About APQN}}

Accredited Programs by PAASCU

These are the following programs that are accredited by PAASCU:{{cite web|url=http://paascu.org.ph/home2012/?page_id=65|title=Programs Accredited by PAASCU}}

class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;width:60%;" ! style="width:1%;"\| No. ! style="width:27%;"\| Program
bgcolor=#ADD8E6
1	Accountancy
2	Agriculture
3	Basic Medical Education
4	Business
5	Computer Science
	● Information Technology
	● Information Management
	● Information Systems
6	Criminal justice
7	Education
	● Elementary
	● Secondary
8	Engineering
	● Civil Engineering
	● Chemical Engineering
	● Computer Engineering
	● Electrical Engineering
	● Electronics and Communications Engineering
	● Industrial Engineering
	● Manufacturing Engineering and Management
	● Mechanical Engineering

class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;width:60%;" ! style="width:1%;"\| No. ! style="width:27%;"\| Program
bgcolor=#ADD8E6
9	Entrepreneurship
10	Graduate Education
	● Arts and Sciences
	● Business Administration
	● Education
	● Nursing
	● Public Health
11	Hospitality Management
12	Interior Design
13	Liberal Arts
14	Medical Technology
15	Nursing
16	Nutrition and Dietetics
17	Occupational Therapy
18	Pharmacy
19	Radiologic Technology
20	Social Work
21	Tourism

Standards

PAASCU judges an institution not by comparison with other institutions but primarily by the degree to which each institution's own [https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/avowed avowed] purposes are matched by actual practice in the various areas being evaluated. Thus, a school is judged on the basis of the "total pattern" presented by it.

References

External links

{{Official website|name=PAASCU official website}}

Category:School accreditors

Category:Private education in the Philippines

Category:Organizations established in 1957

Category:1957 establishments in the Philippines