Best Massage Therapy Schools

Get a Massage Therapy Accreditation and Massage School Overview

Attending an accredited massage therapy school puts a stamp of approval on your massage education.

Read the question and answer below to get in-depth massage therapy accreditation information, including the organizations that accredit massage schools.

You’ll also find out the importance of attending an accredited school and get a list of accredited massage schools.

What is massage therapy accreditation?

“The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accrediting agencies, which are private educational associations of regional or national scope, develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and programs that request an agency’s evaluation and that meet an agency’s criteria are then “accredited” by that agency.”

Although many massage schools have chosen to pursue accreditation, many excellent massage schools have chosen not to pursue it. How this impacts you will depend on your massage therapy specialty and where you want to practice. The best thing to do is to research the school and determine whether the massage courses and programs offered match your career endeavors.

What organizations accredit massage schools?

• Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
• Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)
• Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
• Accrediting Council for Independent Schools and Colleges (ACICS)
• Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA)
• National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS)

Accreditation by one of the above organizations opens the way to federal loan and grant eligibility. Only students attending federally accredited schools are eligible for this financial support.

Should I consider accreditation status when choosing a massage school?