Regional Accreditation Information

The Commission can only accept course work and degrees completed at regionally accredited institutions. Degrees and course work must have been completed while the institution was regionally accredited in order for the Commission to consider them for credentialing purposes. Course work completed in other states is acceptable as long as the institution holds regional accreditation through one of the accrediting bodies listed below. Course work and degrees completed outside of the United States must be evaluated by a Commission-approved foreign transcript evaluation agency before it may be used for credentialing purposes.

To determine the accreditation status of any college or university, the Commission uses a publication entitled Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education (AIPE) to verify accreditation. To obtain a copy, please visit the AIPE website at www.acenet.edu. This publication is revised and published annually. This book also contains institutions accredited by agencies that are NOT approved by the Commission for credentialing purposes in California.

The acceptable regional accrediting bodies are:

  • Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA)/Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
    Website: www.msche.org
    States represented by MSA: Washington DC, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Island, and Overseas
  • The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) (formerly Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges or NASC)
    Website: www.nwccu.org
    States represented by NWCCU: Utah, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, New York, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, and Costa Rica
  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (formerly North Central Association of Colleges and Schools or NCA)
    Website: www.hlcommission.org
    States represented by HLC: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
  • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) (formerly New England Association of Schools and Colleges or NEASC-CIHE)
    Website: www.neche.org
    States represented by NECHE: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Overseas
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC)
    Website: www.sacscoc.org
    States represented by SACS-CC: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Latin America
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges/Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)
    Website: www.accjc.org
    States represented by WASC-JR & SR: California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands, Pacific Basin and East Asia
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges/Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
    Website: www.wscuc.org
    States represented by WASC-JR & SR: California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands, Pacific Basin and East Asia