Eligibility Requirements

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accepts applications from institutions that:

• are concerned predominantly with higher education;

• have characteristics commonly associated with higher education; and

• meet the Eligibility Requirements.

The principal programs of eligible institutions are degree related and built upon knowledge and competencies normally obtained by students through a completed high school program or its equivalent. Such programs are based on verifiable knowledge which has been subjected to examination by competent academic persons and by established practitioners of the arts, sciences, crafts, and professions. Although diversity of requirements is expected among candidate and member institutions, course and degree requirements of an applicant institution must also be congruent with those of the broader higher education community which the Commission represents.

Eligible institutions may properly offer programs or courses that the Commission would not define as higher learning (e.g., introductory courses in subjects that some students may have missed in high school and courses and special programs specifically constructed to assist students to be successful with college-level coursework), but these are offered in addition to the courses and programs relevant to their mission.

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accredits institutions rather than specific programs. Another section of the Accreditation Handbook contains the nine detailed Standards and related Policies by which quality, effectiveness, accreditation, and candidacy are evaluated. These should not be confused with the following essential Eligibility Requirements that must be met when evaluating an institution’s Application for Consideration or when granting or continuing Candidacy, granting Initial Accreditation, and reaffirming Accreditation. Each Eligibility Requirement is an expected level of performance or pre-condition that relates to the Standard and/or Policy shown in parenthesis.

1. AUTHORITY

The institution is authorized to operate and award degrees as a higher education institution by the appropriate governmental organization, agency, or controlling board as required by the jurisdiction or state in which it operates. (Standard Six – Governance and Administration; Standard 6.A – Governance System; Standard Indicator 6.A.1)

2. MISSION AND GOALS

The institution’s mission is clearly defined and adopted by its governing board(s) consistent with its legal authorization, and is appropriate to a degree-granting institution of higher education. The institution’s purpose is to serve the educational interests of its students and its principal programs lead to formal degrees. It devotes all, or substantially all, of its gross income to support its educational mission and goals. (Standard One – Institutional Mission and Goals, Planning and Effectiveness)

3. INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY

The institution is governed and administered with respect for the individual in a nondiscriminatory manner while responding to the educational needs and legitimate claims of the constituencies it serves, as determined by its chartered purposes and accredited status. (Standard Nine – Institutional Integrity)

4. GOVERNING BOARD

The institution has a functioning governing board responsible for the quality and integrity of the institution and for each unit within a multiple-unit institution to ensure that the institution’s mission is being achieved. The governing board has at least five voting members, a majority of whom have no contractual, employment, or personal financial interest in the institution. (Standard Six – Governance and Administration; Standard 6.B – Governing Board)

5. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The institution employs a chief executive officer who is appointed by the governing board and whose full-time responsibility is to the institution. In the instance of multiple-unit institutions, the governing board may delegate to its chief executive officer the authority to appoint the executive officer of an operationally separate institution. Neither the chief executive officer nor an executive officer may serve as the chair of the institution’s governing board. (Standard Six – Governance and Administration; Standard 6.C – Leadership and Management; Commission Policy B–7 Evaluation and Accreditation of Multi-Unit Institutions)

6. ADMINISTRATION

The institution provides the administrative and support services necessary to achieve its mission and meet its goals. (Standard Six – Governance and Administration; Standard 6.C – Leadership and Management)

7. FACULTY

The institution employs a core of full-time, professionally qualified faculty. The faculty is adequate in number and qualifications to meet its obligations toward achievement of the institution’s mission and goals. Faculty are involved in the formulation of institutional policy and participate in academic planning, curriculum development and review, student academic advising, institutional governance and are evaluated in a periodic and systematic manner. Faculty workloads reflect the mission and goals of the institution and the talents and competencies of faculty while allowing sufficient time and support for professional growth and renewal. (Standard Four – Faculty; Commission Policy 4.1 Faculty Evaluation)

8. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

The institution offers one or more educational programs leading to the associate degree or higher that are congruent with its mission; are based on a recognized field(s) of study; are of sufficient content and length; are effective in the use of library and information resources; and are conducted at levels of quality and rigor appropriate to the degree(s) offered. It provides a locus or environment in which the learning experience is enriched through faculty and student interaction. If the range of program(s) is so highly specialized that its professional or vocational specialty defines the institution’s identity, it must demonstrate that it has candidacy or accreditation status from a specialized or national accrediting body which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). (Standard Two – Educational Program and Its Effectiveness)

9. GENERAL EDUCATION AND RELATED INSTRUCTION

The institution’s baccalaureate degree programs and/or academic or transfer associate degree programs require a substantial and coherent component of general education as a prerequisite to or an essential element of the programs offered. All other associate degree programs (e.g., applied, specialized, or technical) and programs of study of either 30 semester or 45 quarter credits or more for which certificates are granted, require at least six semester or nine quarter credits of related instruction or the equivalent. Bachelor and graduate degree programs also require a planned program of major specialization or concentration. (Standard Two – Educational Program and Its Effectiveness; Commission Policy 2.1 General Education/Related Instruction Requirements)

10. LIBRARY AND LEARNING RESOURCES

The institution provides library resources, technology and services for students and faculty appropriate for its mission and for all of its educational programs wherever located and however delivered. (Standard Five – Library and Information Resources)

11. ACADEMIC FREEDOM

The institution’s faculty and students are free to examine and test all knowledge appropriate to their discipline or area of major study as judged by the academic/educational community in general. Regardless of institutional affiliation or sponsorship, the institution maintains an atmosphere in which intellectual freedom and independence exist. (Standard Four – Faculty; Commission Policy A–8 Principles and Practices Regarding Institutional Mission and Goals, Policies and Administration, c.(2)

12. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

The institution identifies and publishes the expected learning outcomes for each of its degree and certificate programs of 30 semester or 45 quarter credits or more. Through regular and systematic assessment, it demonstrates that students who complete their programs, no matter where or how they are offered, will achieve these outcomes. (Standard Two – Educational Program and Its Effectiveness; Standard 2.B – Educational Program Planning and Assessment; Commission Policy 2.2 Educational Assessment)

13. ADMISSIONS

The institution publishes its student admission policy which specifies the characteristics and qualifications appropriate for its programs, and it adheres to that policy in its admission procedures and practices. (Standard Three – Students)

14. PUBLIC INFORMATION

The institution publishes in its catalog or in other appropriate publications and/or electronic sources accurate and current information that describes purposes and objectives, admission requirements and procedures, academic rules and regulations directly affecting students, programs and courses, degree(s) offered and the degree(s) requirements, costs and refund policies, student rights and responsibilities including grievance procedures, academic credentials of faculty and administrators, and other items relative to attending the institution and withdrawing from it. (Standard Three – Students; Commission Policy 3.1 Institutional Advertising, Student Recruitment and Representation of Accredited Status, Item A.3)

15. FINANCIAL RESOURCES

The institution verifies a funding base, financial resources, and plans for financial development adequate to achieve its mission and meet its goals within an annual balanced operating budget and manageable level of debt. (Standard Seven – Finance)

16. FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY

The institution’s financial records are externally audited annually by an independent certified public accountant or on a regular schedule by a state audit agency. The audit must include an unqualified opinion on the financial statement. (Standard Seven – Finance)

17. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

The institution systematically applies clearly defined evaluation and planning procedures, assesses the extent to which it fulfills its mission and achieves its goals, and periodically publishes the results to its constituencies. (Standard One – Institutional Mission and Goals, Planning and Effectiveness)

18. OPERATIONAL STATUS

The institution will have completed at least one year of its principal educational programs and is operational with students actively pursuing its degree programs at the time of the Commission evaluation for Candidate for Accreditation. (Standard Two – Educational Program and Its Effectiveness)

19. DISCLOSURE

The institution discloses to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities any and all such information as the Commission may require to carry out its evaluation and accreditation functions. (Standard Nine – Institutional Integrity)

20. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ACCREDITATION COMMISSION

The institution accepts the standards and related policies of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and agrees to comply with these standards and policies as currently stated or as modified in accordance with Commission policy. Further, the institution agrees that the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities may, at its discretion, make known to any agency or members of the public that may request such information, the nature of any action, positive or negative, regarding its status with the Commission. The Commission treats institutional self-study reports and evaluation committee reports as confidential. The institution, however, may choose to release the documents. (Standard Nine – Institutional Integrity)