The University of Oregon is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), 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.

Accreditation by the NWCCU 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 university initiated a new 7-year accreditation cycle in 2018.