The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent,
non-profit membership organization recognized by the
United States Department of Education since 1952 as an
institutional accreditor for colleges and universities.
Scope
Before 2020, when the Department of Education reorganized accreditation, NWCCU was the regional authority on educational quality and institutional effectiveness of higher education institutions in the seven-state Northwest region of
Alaska,
Idaho,
Montana,
Nevada,
Oregon,
Utah, and
Washington. It establishes accreditation criteria and evaluation procedures by which institutions are reviewed. The commission is recognized by the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order t ...
.
The Commission oversees
regional accreditation
Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member ins ...
for 156 institutions. Its decision-making body consists of up to twenty-six Commissioners who represent the public and the diversity of higher education institutions within the Northwest region.
The NWCCU also accredits non-US institutions.
Capilano University and
Thompson Rivers University of
British Columbia,
Canada received accreditation in 2013 and 2018, respectively.
History
In 1917, the organization was formed as the
Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools.
In 1974, the association changed its name to the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, which included two divisions, one being the Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities.
In 2002, the Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities split from the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NWAAS) to create two separate organizations, changing the name of the organization to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). NWCCU has since handled the accreditation of institutions of higher education, while the
Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NWAAS) handled the accreditation of primary and secondary schools.
In 2012, NWAAS merged with
AdvancED.
See also
*
List of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning
*
Regional accreditation
Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member ins ...
*
School accreditation
*
United States Department of Education
References
External links
Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesOfficial website
School accreditors
College and university associations and consortia in the United States
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