Higher education in the US is also referred to as post-secondary education, but the latter term also refers to all formal education outside of high school, whether higher education (defined as degree-granting education) or not.

Post-secondary education is broadly divided into two distinct sectors: post-secondary vocational education and training, which does not provide a degree but may, under certain circumstances, provide some transferable credits; and tertiary education, which includes studies conducted at degree-granting institutions for academic credit.

However, the US higher education system is not legally divided into separate university and non-university subsystems, like some other national systems, but is comprehensive. It is a diverse and autonomous community of public and private institutions.

Current data shows that there are 6,479 higher education institutions, including 4,182 non-degree institutions. Of the degree-granting institutions of higher education, about 1,732 only award associate’s degrees plus sub-bachelor’s certificates and diplomas; 702 only award a bachelor’s degree; 1,094 degrees and certificates awarded in addition to the bachelor’s degree, but not the doctoral degree; and 654 institutions award doctoral degrees in research.

The United States does not use an official classification or typology for its higher education institutions.While different institutions offer different levels of degrees, US accreditation policy results in degrees at any given level meeting certain minimum standards, regardless of the institution that awards them. In the private but popular Carnegie classification, U.S. institutions are organized in different ways.

The US higher education system is characterized by accessibility, diversity and autonomy and is known for both its size and quality. The federal government has no jurisdiction or authority over the recognition of educational institutions, members of the academic profession, programs or curricula, degrees, or other qualifications. Nearly all higher education institutions in the United States are licensed or chartered by a state or municipal government to be owned by either the government (if public) or by a private corporation (if independent), and may be for-profit or non-profit. profitable businesses. Religious institutions are considered independent or private.
Quality assurance is achieved through a system of voluntary accreditation by special accreditation agencies that are recognized by the US Secretary of Education and meet the standards of membership in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Accreditation is a self-regulatory quality control process administered by the US higher education community to ensure minimum standards of academic ability, administrative competence, and promote mutual recognition of qualifications within the system.The six (6) regional accreditation associations set minimum standards for state-registered institutions in their respective jurisdictions. In addition, there are recognized accreditation agencies for specialized institutions and programs. While all recognized and accredited institutions are licensed or chartered by state governments, States vary greatly in the degree of oversight and quality control they exercise, and there is relatively limited reciprocity of recognition across state boundaries. As such, accreditation by recognized agencies remains the primary means of ensuring academic and institutional quality and mutual recognition of credits and qualifications within and outside the United States.