{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-05/korean-american-center-cognia-accreditation","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-05/korean-american-center-cognia-accreditation.md","title":"Korean American Center Earns Cognia Accreditation With Merit","headline":"Korean American Center Wins Cognia Accreditation With Merit as Enrollment Tops 1,200","description":"Korean American Center earned Cognia Accreditation with Merit, becoming the only U.S. Korean language institute with dual accreditation.","section":"Regulation & Approvals","published_at":"2026-11-05T17:47:33+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-05T17:47:33+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Korean American Center received Cognia Accreditation with Merit from the Cognia Global Commission on October 30, 2026.","Enrollment at the Irvine-based nonprofit grew more than 400% over the past year, with more than 1,200 students enrolled this semester from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.","The center launched a high school Korean language program for academic credit in fall 2026 with an inaugural cohort of 30 students."],"companies":[{"name":"Korean American Center","is_primary":true,"profile_url":null,"website":"https://koreanamericancenter.org"},{"name":"Cognia","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00061j1/cognia","website":"https://www.cognia.org"}],"source":{"publisher":"Prweb","title":"Korean American Center Earns Cognia Accreditation with Merit Amid 400% Surge in Korean Language Enrollment","url":"https://www.prweb.com/releases/korean-american-center-earns-cognia-accreditation-with-merit-amid-400-surge-in-korean-language-enrollment-302931127.html"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Regulation & Approvals","Korean American Center","Cognia"],"body_markdown":"Korean American Center has earned Accreditation with Merit from Cognia, the Irvine-based nonprofit announced on November 5, 2026, after enrollment grew more than 400% over the past year to more than 1,200 students this semester. The [announcement](https://www.prweb.com/releases/korean-american-center-earns-cognia-accreditation-with-merit-amid-400-surge-in-korean-language-enrollment-302931127.html) said the Cognia Global Commission awarded the recognition on October 30.\n\n## Korean American Center's Dual Accreditation\n\nKorean American Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that teaches Korean to children, teenagers and adults through in-person classes in Southern California and live online instruction nationwide. It also operates the Irvine King Sejong Institute, part of a global Korean language education network supported by the South Korean government.\n\nThe Cognia designation makes the center the only Korean language institute in the United States to hold accreditation from both Cognia and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, according to the announcement. The center said institutional accreditation involves an independent evaluation of teaching quality, student learning, leadership and organizational operations, and that accreditation is what makes transcripts count.\n\nCognia serves approximately 40,000 educational institutions in more than 100 countries, and its Accreditation with Merit designation recognizes institutions that demonstrate performance exceeding its accreditation expectations. [Cognia](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00061j1/cognia) announced on October 7, 2026, that 54 institutions earned Accredited with Distinction status in the 2025-2026 school year, including 40 schools and 14 systems, a review that covered approximately 1,265 accreditation engagement reviews, according to PR Newswire.\n\n\"There's a difference between claiming educational quality and having it independently verified,\" said Tammy Kim, Executive Director of Korean American Center. \"As demand for Korean language education continues to grow, students deserve the same level of educational quality and credibility as those studying any other language, even when Korean isn't widely offered in American schools.\"\n\nApproximately 75% of the center's adult learners are non-Korean, and students this semester come from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. According to the Modern Language Association, Korean was the fastest-growing language studied at U.S. Colleges between 2016 and 2021, with enrollment increasing 38.3% while overall foreign language enrollment declined.\n\nDr. Mark A. Elgart, President and CEO of Cognia, said, \"Cognia Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire institution and its community on the primary goal of ensuring all students can flourish in engaging and effective learning environments.\"\n\n## High School Program and Next Steps\n\nThe center launched its [high school Korean language program](https://koreanamericancenter.org) for academic credit in fall 2026, welcoming an inaugural cohort of 30 students from across the United States. The program offers live online instruction, structured coursework and official academic transcripts.\n\nSunny Paek, Principal and Lead Instructor at KAC, said, \"It's exciting to see so many people discovering the Korean language through K-pop and the Korean Wave, but it's great teachers who turn that initial curiosity into meaningful language skills.\"\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}