According to the U.S. Department of Education, accreditation is defined as "the recognition that an institution maintains standards requisite for its graduates to gain admission to other reputable institutions of higher learning or to achieve credentials for professional practice. The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality". 

The objective of the Office's accreditation activities is to ensure that all educational programming provided by GVSU meets or exceeds the levels of quality prescribed by national and regional accrediting bodies. The Office plays many roles in these accreditation processes to ensure new accreditations are secured and existing accreditations are maintained on a timely, efficient basis, including monitoring institutional compliance with accreditation requirements on an ongoing basis.

Like many other academic institutions of higher learning, GVSU is responsible for maintaining both program-level accreditations by way of each program's governing body as well as university accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The purpose of such layered evaluation is to ensure that the university is hitting necessary targets on the micro and macro level in order to provide students with a comprehensive and quality educational experience.