据了解，美国宪法规定，各州政府负责注册并审批各类高等院校，但各院校是否被社会所认可则取决于政府承认的认证机构的认证。

　　美国高等院校包括公立与私立两种。主要实行二年学制或四年学制，二年制的多为技术专科学校和社区学院。据统计，目前美国各类高等院校有3600多所。

　　美国高等院校的质量认证一般由专业认证机构负责，经美国教育部认可的专业认证机构主要有六大区域认证机构及近百个专业认证机构。联邦政府通过认证机构间接起到对各院校的管理与规范。全美高等教育认证委员会（CHEA）是协调并审核认证机构的专业机构。 通过区域性认证协会或其它专业认证机构的认证，各院校可实现学分相互转换，所颁发的学位证书或文凭证书能获得社会的广泛认可。

　　2012年美国弗吉尼亚州教育部批准境外正规高校名单：

　　Virginia

　　Advanced Technology Institute (Virginia Beach)

　　American Institute of Massage (Richmond)

　　America‘s Computer Training Source (Virginia Beach)

　　Applied Career Training, Inc. (Alexandria)

　　Applied Career Training, Inc. (Arlington)

　　Applied Career Training Inc. (Manassas)

　　The Apprentice School - Northrop Grumman Newport News (Newport News)

　　Army Management Staff College (Ft. Belvoir)

　　Army Quartermaster Center and School (Ft. Lee)

　　ATI - Hollywood (Roanoke)

　　Averett University (Danville)

　　Aviation Institute of Maintenance (Virginia Beach)

　　Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (Richmond)

　　Beta Tech (Richmond)

　　Beta Tech West (Richmond)

　　Blue Ridge Community College (Weyers Cave)

　　Blue Ridge Job Corps Center (Marion)

　　Bluefield College (Bluefield)

　　The Braxton School of Business (Richmond)

　　Bridgewater College (Bridgewater)

　　Bureau of Medicine and Surgery - Branch Campus (Portsmouth)

　　Bureau of Medicine and Surgery - Branch Campus (Yorktown)

　　C-3 School L.L.C. (Midlothian)

　　Career Training Solutions (Fredericksburg)

　　Central Virginia Community College (Lynchburg)

　　Christendom College (Front Royal)

　　Christopher Newport University (Newport News)

　　The Chubb Institute (Reston)

　　The College of William and Mary (Williamsburg)

　　Colonial Heights Beauty Academy (Colonial Heights)

　　Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley College of Health Sciences (Roanoke)

　　Cooper Career Institute (Virginia Beach)

　　Cosmopolitan Beauty & Barber School (Annandale)

　　Crescent Cosmetology University (Hampton)

　　Culpeper Cosmetology Training Center (Culpeper)

　　Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (Clifton Forge)

　　Danville Community College (Danville)

　　Danville Regional Medical Center School of Nursing (Danville)

　　Defense Acquisition University (Ft. Belvoir)

　　Defense Commissary Agency (Ft. Lee)

　　Dickerson Beauty Academy (Danville)

　　Eastern Mennonite Seminary of Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg)

　　Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg)

　　Eastern Shore Community College (Melfa)

　　Eastern Virginia Medical School (Norfolk)

　　ECPI College of Technology (Virginia Beach)

　　ECPI Technical College (Glen Allen)

　　ECPI Technical College (Richmond)

　　ECPI Technical College (Roanoke)

　　Emory & Henry College (Emory)

　　Empire Beauty School (Midlothian)

　　Ferrum College (Ferrum)

　　Flatwoods Civilian Conservation Center (Coeburn)

　　George Mason University (Fairfax)

　　Germanna Community College (Locust Grove)

　　Ghent Beauty Academy (Norfolk)

　　Gibbs College (Vienna)

　　Graham Webb International Academy of Hair (Arlington)

　　Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden-Sydney)

　　Hampton Roads School of Technology (Norfolk)

　　Hampton University (Hampton)

　　Heritage Institute (Falls Church)

　　Heritage Institute (Manassas)

　　Hicks Academy of Beauty Culture (Portsmouth)

　　Hollins University (Roanoke)

　　Indian River Beauty Academy (Virginia Beach)

　　International Beauty School (Charlottesville)

　　ITT Technical Institute (Chantilly)

　　ITT Technical Institute (Norfolk)

　　ITT Technical Institute (Richmond)

　　ITT Technical Institute (Springfield)

　　J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Richmond)

　　James Madison University (Harrisonburg)

　　John Tyler Community College (Chester)

　　Kee Business College (Chesapeake)

　　Kee Business College (Newport News)

　　Lawrence-White Associates, Inc. (Roanoke)

　　Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (Lynchburg)

　　Liberty University (Lynchburg)

　　LIFE Bible College East (Christiansburg)

　　Longwood University (Farmville)

　　Lord Fairfax Community College (Middletown)

　　Lynchburg College (Lynchburg)

　　Marine Corps University (Quantico)

　　Mary Baldwin College (Staunton)

　　Mary Washington College (Fredericksburg)

　　Marymount University (Arlington)

　　Medical Careers Institute - Branch Campus (Richmond)

　　Medical Careers Institute (Newport News)

　　Miller-Motte Technical College (Lynchburg)

　　Mountain Empire Community College (Big Stone Gap)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Bluefield)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Bristol)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Charlottesville)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Danville)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Harrisonburg)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Lynchburg)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Martinsville)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Salem)

　　National Court Reporters Association (Vienna)

　　National Geospatial Intelligence College (Ft. Belvior)

　　Naval Air Maintenance Training Unit (Norfolk)

　　Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (Virginia Beach)

　　New River Community College (Dublin)

　　Norfolk Skills Center (Norfolk)

　　Norfolk State University (Norfolk)

　　Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale)

　　Old Dominion Job Corps Center (Monroe)

　　Old Dominion University (Norfolk)

　　Parks College (Arlington)

　　Patrick Henry College (Purcellville)

　　Patrick Henry Community College (Martinsville)

　　Paul D. Camp Community College (Franklin)

　　Piedmont Virginia Community College (Charlottesville)

　　Potomac College (Herndon)

　　Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia (Alexandria)

　　Radford University (Radford)

　　Ralph’s Virginia School of Cosmetology, Inc. (Lynchburg)

　　Randolph-Macon College (Ashland)

　　Randolph-Macon Woman‘s College (Lynchburg)

　　Rappahannock Community College (Glenns)

　　Regent University School of Divinity (Virginia Beach)

　　Regent University (Virginia Beach)

　　Richard Bland College (Petersburg)

　　Roanoke College (Salem)

　　RSHT Training Center - Branch Campus (Charlottesville)

　　RSHT Training Center (Richmond)

　　Rudy & Kelly Academy of Hair & Nails (Virginia Beach)

　　Saint Paul’s College (Lawrenceville)

　　Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University (Richmond)

　　Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (Norfolk)

　　Shenandoah University (Winchester)

　　Southside Virginia Community College (Alberta)

　　Southwest Virginia Community College (Richlands)

　　Springfield Beauty Academy, Inc. (Annandale)

　　Staunton School of Cosmetology, Inc. (Staunton)

　　Stratford University (Falls Church)

　　Stratford University (Woodbridge)

　　Suffolk Beauty Academy (Suffolk)

　　Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar)

　　TAP This Valley Works Center for Employment Training (Roanoke)

　　TESST College of Technology (Alexandria)

　　Thomas Nelson Community College (Hampton)

　　Tidewater Community College (Norfolk)

　　Tidewater Tech (Chesapeake)

　　Tidewater Tech (Newport News)

　　Tidewater Tech (Norfolk)

　　Tidewater Tech (Virginia Beach)

　　Trojan Beauty & Barber College (Ettrick)

　　Unified Industries Incorporated (Springfield)

　　Union Theol. Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Ed. (Richmond)

　　Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Richmond)

　　University of Richmond (Richmond)

　　University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

　　The University of Virginia‘s College at Wise (Wise)

　　U.S. Army Logistics Management College (Fort Lee)

　　Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond)

　　Virginia Highlands Community College (Abingdon)

　　Virginia Intermont College (Bristol)

　　Virginia Military Institute (Lexington)

　　Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg)

　　Virginia School of Hair Design (Hampton)

　　Virginia School of Massage (Charlottesville)

　　Virginia School of Technology (Richmond)

　　Virginia School of Technology (Virginia Beach)

　　Virginia State University (Petersburg)

　　Virginia Union University (Richmond)

　　Virginia University of Lynchburg (Lynchburg)

　　Virginia Wesleyan College (Norfolk)

　　Virginia Western Community College (Roanoke)

　　Wade Powell & Associates, Inc. (Virginia Beach)

　　Wards Corner Beauty Academy (Norfolk)

　　Washington County Adult Skills Center (Abingdon)

　　Washington and Lee University (Lexington)

　　Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center (Fishersville)

　　Wray K. Powell & Associates, Inc. (Richmond)

　　Wytheville Community College (Wytheville)

　　Virgin Islands

　　University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, ISV)