Statement of Accreditation Status
Palo Alto University
1791 Arastradero Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94304
United StatesTelephone:
Staff Liaison:
Each institution is assigned a staff liaison who is their primary point of contact for accreditation activities.
OPEID:
The OPEID number is used by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) to identify schools that have Program Participation Agreements (PPA) for purposes of eligibility to participate in Federal Student Financial Assistance programs under Title IV.
021383
Student Achievement URL:
WSCUC Standards require that institutions regularly generate, evaluate, and make public data about student achievement, including measures of retention, and graduation, and evidence of student learning.
Current Accreditation Status:
Accredited- Indicates that the Commission has found that an institution has met or exceeded the expectations of the Standards and the Core Commitments to Institutional Capacity and Educational Effectiveness. Initial accreditation is for a period of five to seven years before the next comprehensive review. Reaffirmation is granted for a period of seven to ten years and may be accompanied by a request for interim reports and/or special visits, or a formal Notice of Concern.
Accredited
Most Recent Commission Action:
Friday, June 29, 2018
Granted Candidacy:
Candidacy is a status of preliminary affiliation with the Senior College and University Commission, awarded for a maximum of four years following a procedure for institutional review that includes self-study and on-site visitation. Candidacy indicates that the institution meets all or nearly all the Standards at a minimum level. Candidacy is not accreditation and does not ensure eventual accreditation; it means that an institution is progressing toward accreditation. This is the date that the institution was first granted the status of Candidacy with WSCUC. Not all institutions have become accredited with WSCUC through the Candidacy process.
1980
First Accredited:
Date the institution was first accredited by WSCUC.
1986
Undergraduate FTE:
98
Graduate FTE:
832
Financial Structure Type:
Institutions within the WSCUC region are classified as Non-profit, For-profit or State-supported.
Non-Profit
Sponsorship:
Choices include: No related entity, Proprietary with Parent Board, Religious Control, Multi-institutional system, Other. For more information please see the Related Entities Policy.
No Related Entity
Academic Calendar:
The period of time generally extending from September to June; usually equated to 2 semesters or trimesters, 3 quarters, or the period covered by a 4-1-4 calendar system.
Quarter
Distributes Federal Financial Aid:
Role |
Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accreditation Liaison Officer | James Breckenridge | Chief of Staff/ALO | jbreckenridge [at] paloaltou.edu |
| Board of Directors Chair | Daniel Kostenbauder | Board Chair | dan.kostenbauder [at] comcast.net |
| Chief Academic Officer | Risa Dickson | Vice President of Academic Affairs | rdickson [at] paloaltou.edu |
| Chief Executive Officer | Maureen O'Connor | President | moconnor [at] paloaltou.edu |
| Chief Financial Officer | June Klein | Vice President Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer | jklein [at] paloaltou.edu |
| Director Institutional Research | Jennifer Lehner | Director of Institutional Research | jlehner [at] paloaltou.edu |
| OPEID |
Location Name |
City | Location Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02138300 | Gronowski Clinic | Los Altos | Additional | Active |
| 02138300 | Palo Alto University | Palo Alto | Main Campus | Active |
|
Degree |
Degree Level | Year Implemented | Modality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Science in Business Psychology | Bachelors | 2009 | On-Site |
| Bachelor of Science in Business Psychology | Bachelors | 2011 | Distance Education |
| Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Social Action | Bachelors | 2006 | On-Site |
| Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Social Action | Bachelors | 2011 | Distance Education |
| MA Counseling | Masters | 2011 | Distance Education |
| MA Counseling | Masters | 2011 | On-Site |
| MA in Mental Health Counseling Psychology | Masters | 2009 | Distance Education |
| MS in Psychology | Masters | 2000 | Distance Education |
| PhD in Clinical Psychology | Professional Doctorate | 1975 | On-Site |
| PsyD in Clinical Psychology | Professional Doctorate | 2002 | On-Site |
| Season | Year | Review Type |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2022 |
Mid-Cycle Review
The Mid-Cycle Review (MCR) is a review of each institution near the midpoint of its period of accreditation, focusing particularly on student achievement. The Review is performed by WSCUC staff, and draws on evidence from an update of the institution’s Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators and retention and graduation data, as well as any trends emerging from Annual Reports to surface any potential issues across the Standards. The overall purpose of the Mid-Cycle Review is to "identify problems with an institution's or program's continued compliance with agency standards" while "tak[ing] into account institutional or program strengths and stability" (U.S. Department of Education, §602.19(b)). |
| Fall | 2025 | Offsite Review |
| Spring | 2026 | Accreditation Visit |
The following links are to external resources not maintained by WSCUC. They are provided for your convenience.
- National Center for Educational Statistics- College NavigatorThis link will take you to the information page for this institution at nces.ed.gov
- College ScorecardA tool made available by the U.S. Department of Education.
- College ResultsCollege Results Online (CRO) provides information about college graduation rates for most four-year colleges and universities
