Francis Marion University is fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award bachelor's and master's level degrees. Upon request, accreditation documents may be viewed in the Office of the Provost during normal business hours.

The University is approved by the South Carolina State Board of Education and is a member of the American Council on Education and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

In addition, several individual academic programs have been recognized by specialized accrediting organizations. The business programs are accredited by the AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The teacher education programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and approved by the South Carolina State Board of Education under standards developed by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC). The chemistry program is approved by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society. The graduate psychology program is accredited by the Master's in Psychology Accreditation Council (MPAC) and meets the standards of training approved by the Council of Applied Master's Programs in Psychology (CAMPP). The theatre arts program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST). The visual arts and art education programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).