Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is the regional accrediting agency for institutions of higher learning in seven states:
- Washington
- Oregon
- Idaho
- Alaska
- Montana
- Nevada
- Utah
Both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognize NWCCU as an accrediting authority. NWCCU accreditation serves as both a marker of educational quality and a process by which schools may analyze and continuously improve their classes. The NWCCU is an institutional accrediting agency, meaning that it accredits a college as a whole, rather than accrediting specific degree programs. Accreditation qualifies colleges and universities to access federal funding for financial aid and research activities.
What NWCCU Accreditation MeansAccreditation is an intensive process that involves self-study and comprehensive peer evaluations of a school's effectiveness. NWCCU members engage in a ten-year cycle of continuous review, marked by an Annual Report, a comprehensive institutional self-study, and a peer evaluation.
The accreditation process examines each school's mission and goals, as well as the strategic planning process used to achieve those goals; the effectiveness of its educational programs; its ability to support its students appropriately; the development of its faculty; its various resources, including library resources, financial resources, and physical resources; its administration and governance; and its institutional integrity. The NWCCU looks for evidence that each institution of higher learning conducts its operations ethically and effectively, with the best interests of its students in mind.
The NWCCU reviews its own accreditation standards every five years in order to ensure their reliability and continued relevance.
Article ReferencesNWCCU
http://www.nwccu.org
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