Accreditation
Accreditation is a voluntary system of self-regulation, supported by peer-review, in which an institution or program is assessed against a set of standards. The University of Oregon is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and also enjoys a number of specialized accreditations granted to colleges and programs by other national organizations.
Regional Accreditation
Accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities applies to the institution as a whole and is not granted permanently or for a definite number of years. It is an ongoing status that must be reaffirmed periodically through self-study and onsite visitations by peer evaluation committees. The University of Oregon has been continuously accredited by the NWCCU since 1918 and was most recent reaffirmed in July 2017.
The NWCCU is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the Department of Education as the regional authority in the seven-state Northwest region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The Commission oversees accreditation for 162 institutions. Its decision-making body consists of up to twenty-six commissioners who represent the public and the diversity of higher education institutions within the Northwest region.
Current Regional Accreditation Cycle
The NWCCU accreditation cycle is completed over a seven-year period and guided by the Standards for Accreditation. The University of Oregon initiated the current seven-year accreditation cycle in 2018 under a set of five Standards for Accreditation that were adopted by the commission in 2010. These standards are reflected in the 2018 year one self-evaluation report and in the 2020 mid-cycle self-evaluation report.
NWCCU updated their standards in 2020 to focus more directly on student learning and achievement. The new standards are reflected in the 2023 Policies, Regulation, and Financial Review (PRFR) report and the 2024 Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE).
Historical Documents
The University of Oregon keeps historical documents related to previous reports for NWCCU accreditation, going back to 2007.
Specialized Accreditation
Specialized accreditation for individual schools, colleges, and educational programs is granted by a number of national organizations. The following schools and colleges have programs at the University of Oregon that have specialized accreditation.