The 2013 Handbook is designed to serve several purposes: to present the Commission’s Core Commitments and Standards of Accreditation; to guide institutions through the institutional review process; and to assist review teams at each stage of review.

The WSCUC 2023 Handbook provides information on the 2023 Standards, the Institutional Review Process for Reaffirmation, and Commission Decisions.

The Key Indicators Dashboard (KID) presents detailed trend and comparative information on WSCUC’s accredited undergraduate and graduate institutions in a clear, easy to use format. KID displays from federal data sets to present multiple years of metrics, trend data, and comparisons based on both national and WSCUC averages. KID provides integrated, accessible data on institution size and context, student completion, student finances, institution finances, and post-graduation outcomes.

What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter?

This policy covers the balance of Commissioners and of evaluators for institutional reviews.

This policy covers how Commissioners are identified if they have institutional “academic” or “administrator” roles.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's Accreditation Policy & Procedure Committee.

The purpose of this records treatment, retention and disposal policy is to ensure that necessary accreditation records are adequately protected and maintained by WSCUC in accordance with 34 CFR 602.15(b) of the Higher Education Act (HEA).

WSCUC’s Accreditation Resource Conference (ARC) is an annual gathering of WSCUC and the broader higher education community that focuses on issues of critical importance and features presentations and content geared towards accreditation and institutional improvement.

WSCUC’s Accreditation Resource Conference (ARC) is an annual gathering of WSCUC and the broader higher education community that focuses on issues of critical importance and features presentations and content geared towards accreditation and institutional improvement.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of education and technology, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) presents both opportunities and challenges for the accreditation process.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's Audit Committee.

The formal bylaws adopted by the Commission describe its governance structure.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's Compensation Committee.

This form is used to submit a complaint to WSCUC and includes the submission instructions and links to relevant policy documents.

WSCUC has two established means for receiving comments from concerned stakeholders about its member institutions: complaints and third-party comments. This document describes the WSCUC policy related to complaints and third-party comments as it pertains to member institutions and other parties in the process.

Alerts for the public on “degree mills” and “accreditation mills.”

For financial aid issues, please contact the Federal Student Aid Office of the Ombudsman at 1-877-557-2575, or review this resource.

WSCUC offers a variety of educational programming to help expand the skills of our community, including the Accreditation Resource Conference (ARC), the Assessment Leadership Academy (ALA), and webinars and workshops on various relevant topics.

This policy covers the definition of Educator and Practitioner relating to institutions under review.

This policy covers the assignment of Educators and Practitioners as peer evaluators on agency reviews.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's Executive Committee.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's Finance & Operations Committee.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's Governance Committee.

WSUC has traditionally invited and included institutional responses to team reports in Commission materials for review of institutions. This policy establishes that such communications are officially part of the institutional record, complying with Department of Education requirements.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's International Accreditation Committee.

A brief description of educational accreditation.

An exploration of data’s integral place in institutional self-assessment and accreditation peer review. WSCUC President Jamienne S. Studley and Vice President Stephanie Huie engage in conversation with quality and evidence superstars Amelia Parnell and Archie P. Cubarrubia.

This policy lists the CFRs for which the agency will report non-compliance to the US Department of Education.

This policy describes the Commission's responsibility to notify the Secretary of Education of proposed changes in policies, procedures, or accreditation standards that would alter its status or scope of recognition or might alter compliance with the criteria for recognition.

This form is to be filled out by individuals who wish to be considered to serve as a peer reviewer on future accreditation reviews.

This policy describes the executive session and the public session held at the Commission meeting and the procedure for both public meetings and public hearings.

WSCUC has two established means for receiving comments from concerned stakeholders about its member institutions: complaints and third-party comments. This page describes the role of WSCUC in relation to the complaints and third-party comments process with links to relevant policies and forms.

This policy describes the Commission’s support of the principles of transparency and accountability and details the key accreditation information that is made available to the public.

This policy describes the Commission’s practice of regularly reviewing and reaffirming the Standards of Accreditation and the process by which changes to the Standards are proposed..

The policy concerning information sharing with other accrediting agencies, state agencies, the United States Department of Education (USDE), and other international agencies relevant to the institution.

Roles and responsibilities of the Commission's Structural Change Committee.

Teams complete this form to document the review of the institution’s student complaints policies, procedures, and records in accordance with federal regulation.

This form is used to submit a third-party comment to WSCUC and includes the submission instructions and links to relevant policy documents

The Understanding the 2023 WSCUC Standards provides material to help facilitate an institution’s self-evaluation under the Standards; this document complements and expands the instructions in the 2023 Handbook of Accreditation and should be used in conjunction with the Handbook.

Explore publicly collected, standardized data about WSCUC-accredited institutions.

From Numbers to Real-World Impact: Understanding the Economic Value of a College Degree