Is accreditation important?

I've been looking into uni courses for 2024 and before I send off my application I want to know, is it important that a degree is accredited? Specifically arts degrees.

Which arts degrees?

I'm looking at photography and i have a friend applying to illustration who also would like to know

Its only important for professional degrees like Engineering, Architecture, Pharmacy etc, where you have to do an accredited degree to have professional registration.

For Photography there is no 'must have' accreditation to work in this area - so please ignore any college or Uni that pretends that whatever 'badge' they have paid for is worth anything. It isnt. Ignore it.

Then no accreditation doesn’t matter.

Pay more attention to the studio facilities (dark rooms, studios, print rooms, software provided for free etc) and look at the graduate shows from previous years to get a good feel for the style and variety of work that’s supported to see if you’re likely to be a good fit with the course. For both photography and illustration the style and variety of work (and the quality) can vary hugely between universities.