NWCCU Accreditation

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Accreditation

Linfield University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to accredit postsecondary institutions.

NWCCU recognizes higher education institutions for performance, integrity, and quality to merit the confidence of the educational community and the public. Our accreditation of postsecondary institutions is a voluntary, non-governmental, self-regulatory process of quality assurance and institutional improvement.

Accreditation is conducted through a cycle of continual improvement. Each institution demonstrates their ability to meet a set of standards through their own mission. The focus of accreditation is on student learning and sustainable educational processes. Each institution conducts a self-study and produces progressively more comprehensive reports during the seven-year cycle: reports are at the Mid-Cycle (Year Three) and Year Seven, and include a site visit by an evaluation committee appointed by the NWCCU, comprised of academic peers from institutions outside of the state. The NWCCU commission reviews self-study reports, reviews reports by the evaluation committee, and determines all actions related to institutional accreditation.

The NWCCU reviews the accreditation standards on a regular 10-year cycle and new standards went into effect in 2020.

For further information about the accreditation process, please visit the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.