ABHES (the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools) is a legitimate accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It qualifies students for federal financial aid and meets the requirements for major professional certification exams in healthcare fields like medical assisting and surgical technology. For the specific career paths it covers, ABHES accreditation carries real weight with employers and licensing boards.
That said, “good” depends on what you plan to do with your education. ABHES works well for students pursuing focused healthcare credentials, but it has limitations worth understanding before you enroll.
What ABHES Accreditation Actually Means
ABHES is a national accrediting agency that focuses specifically on health education schools and programs. It’s recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the two bodies that vet accreditors in the United States. Schools and programs that hold ABHES accreditation have met standards for curriculum quality, faculty qualifications, and student outcomes that these oversight bodies consider legitimate.
Because of this federal recognition, students at ABHES-accredited institutions are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and federal student loans. Any school must hold accreditation from a nationally recognized agency to participate in federal aid programs, and ABHES meets that bar.
Certification Exam Eligibility
This is where ABHES accreditation proves its practical value. Several major professional certification exams in healthcare accept graduates from ABHES-accredited programs.
- Certified Medical Assistant (CMA): The American Association of Medical Assistants accepts graduates of either ABHES or CAAHEP-accredited programs to sit for the CMA exam. Students can even register for the exam before finishing their practicum, as long as all classroom coursework is complete.
- Certified Surgical Technologist (CST): The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting requires candidates to graduate from a CAAHEP or ABHES-accredited surgical technology program. No other accreditation qualifies.
If your goal is to earn one of these credentials and enter the workforce quickly, an ABHES-accredited program puts you on equal footing with graduates of CAAHEP-accredited programs for exam eligibility purposes. This matters because many employers require or strongly prefer certified candidates, and attending a non-accredited program could lock you out of the exam entirely.
ABHES vs. CAAHEP
The most common comparison is between ABHES and CAAHEP (the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs), since both accredit medical assistant and surgical technology programs. Both are recognized by the Department of Education, both set rigorous standards, and both qualify graduates for the same certification exams.
The key difference is scope. CAAHEP accredits programs across a broader range of allied health fields, including respiratory therapy, cardiovascular technology, and emergency medical services. ABHES focuses more narrowly on health education schools, particularly career-focused and vocational institutions. In terms of what your diploma means to a certification board or employer in medical assisting or surgical technology, the two accreditations are functionally equivalent.
Where you may notice a difference is in how other academic institutions view the credential, which brings up the most important limitation of ABHES accreditation.
The Credit Transfer Challenge
If you ever plan to continue your education at a community college or university, credit transfer is the area where ABHES accreditation can create friction. ABHES is a national accreditor, while most traditional colleges and universities hold regional accreditation (now called institutional accreditation). Regionally accredited schools are not required to accept credits from nationally accredited institutions, and many don’t.
ABHES itself acknowledges this reality. Its guidance to students emphasizes that transfer policies vary widely between institutions and encourages schools to accept transfer credits to “promote academic mobility.” An ABHES-accredited school may accept credits from a regionally accredited institution, but the reverse is not guaranteed. Each receiving school evaluates coursework individually to determine if it’s equivalent to what they offer.
This means if you start at an ABHES-accredited school earning a medical assisting diploma and later decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing or health sciences at a state university, you could find that few or none of your credits transfer. You’d essentially be starting over. For students who are certain they want a specific healthcare credential and plan to enter the workforce directly, this may not matter. For anyone who sees their program as a stepping stone to a four-year degree, it’s a significant consideration.
Who Benefits Most From ABHES Programs
ABHES accreditation works best for students with a clear, focused goal: earn a healthcare credential, pass a certification exam, and start working. The programs it accredits tend to be shorter and more career-oriented than what you’d find at a community college or university. Many are certificate or diploma programs that can be completed in under two years.
The accreditation is less ideal if you’re unsure about your long-term educational plans, if you think you might want to transfer credits to a four-year school, or if you’re entering a field where employers or licensing boards specifically require graduation from a regionally accredited institution. Before enrolling, check whether the specific certification or license you need accepts ABHES accreditation. For medical assisting and surgical technology, it does. For other fields, verify directly with the relevant credentialing body.
Also confirm that the specific program you’re considering holds its own programmatic accreditation from ABHES, not just the school as a whole. Some institutions are accredited at the institutional level while individual programs within them may have separate accreditation status. The ABHES website maintains a directory of accredited programs and institutions you can search before committing.