Yes — Aspen University is institutionally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), and its BSN and MSN nursing programs carry separate accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). DEAC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and CHEA, so Aspen is a genuinely accredited university. The nuance worth understanding up front: DEAC is a national accreditor rather than a regional one, and that distinction can matter if you later want to transfer credits to a regionally accredited school.
The DEAC institutional accreditation
Aspen's university-wide accreditation comes from the DEAC, a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. That recognition is what makes an Aspen degree an accredited degree. DEAC specializes in distance education, which is a fit for a fully-online university like Aspen.
CCNE for the nursing programs
On top of the institutional accreditation, Aspen's baccalaureate and master's nursing programs are accredited by CCNE. For nursing students this is the accreditation that licensing boards and many employers actually look for, so if you are here for the BSN or MSN, the CCNE stamp matters as much as the institutional one.
National versus regional, in plain terms
DEAC is national accreditation. It is legitimate and federally recognized, but it is a different category from the regional accreditation held by many state universities. The practical consequence shows up mainly in one place — transferring credits to a regionally accredited school later — which is worth its own look before you enroll if that is your plan.
How to verify it yourself
Do not take any single page's word for it. Confirm Aspen's standing directly on the DEAC website and Aspen's own accreditation page, and check the CCNE listing for the nursing programs. All three are in the sources below, and verifying an accreditor claim yourself is the right habit for any online school.
Sources and verification
Facts on this page come from official sources; verify accreditation claims yourself before enrolling:
- aspen.edu/accreditation: Aspen University's official accreditation page
- www.deac.org: the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, Aspen's institutional accreditor
- CCNE accreditation: the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, which accredits Aspen's nursing programs
- www.chea.org: the Council for Higher Education Accreditation