V3I1: NWCCU Accreditation Handbook Update

Throughout a seven-year cycle, every institution is reviewed by NWCCU staff, teams of peer evaluators, and the Board of Commissioners in order to be sure that the institution is improving any problem areas, is an effective school, offers a high-quality education, and is working to fulfill its mission. Institutions maintain accreditation through continuous adherence to criteria as set forth by the Commission and outlined in the Accreditation Handbook.

The Accreditation Handbook is a formal, technical manual that covers the full process of becoming and staying accredited with NWCCU. Periodically we review our processes and make updates in response to changes in policies, procedures, and federal regulations. We are releasing Version: September 2020 of the Accreditation Handbook; some modifications of note:

• Terminology of “institutional accreditation” changed to “institutional accreditation”. Under the new 2020 USDE Regulations, the former institutional accreditors are now no longer geographically restricted and can operate nationally.
• Processes aligned with the 2020 Standards such as the optional use of continuing Core Themes, updated clarification on citation of standards, and process document for the Year Six, Standard Two, Policies, Regulations, and Financial Review (PRFR).
• Provided additional detail and clarification to the Applicant, Candidate, and Accredited status.
• Updated the instructions on reports and document submissions.
• Streamlined superfluous information that is housed elsewhere, supplying links to where it can be found on the NWCCU website.

Accreditation Handbook

Redlined version comparing Version: March 2020 to Version: September 2020

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