Accreditation

Clark College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities1 (8060 165th Avenue NE, Suite 100, Redmond, WA 98052), a national accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality evaluated through a peer review process.  An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.  Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole.  As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates.  Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Inquiries regarding an institution's accreditation status by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution.  Individuals may also contact:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
8060 165th Avenue N.E., Suite 100
Redmond, WA 98052
(425) 558-4224
www.nwccu.org

Types of Accreditations

There are three types of accreditation in the United States: institutional, national, and specialized or programmatic. On July 1, 2020, the United States Department of Education’s (USDE) regulations eliminated the designation of regional accreditor and, thus, the seven regional accreditors, such as NWCCU, are now referred to as institutional accreditors.

  • An institution may not be accredited by more than one institutional accrediting agency. It may, however, be accredited by an institutional accreditor and a national accreditor and/or have one or more of its academic programs accredited by specialized or programmatic accrediting agencies.
  • Students attending accredited institutions may be eligible to apply for U.S. federal financial aid. Accreditation also helps ensure that credits and degrees are generally recognized for purposes of transfer, admission to other institutions, and employment.
  • In many countries, the maintenance of educational standards is a governmental function; in the U.S., in contrast, accreditation is peer-driven and accrediting organizations are funded by the dues paid by member institutions. Review teams predominantly comprising experts and representatives from similar institutions evaluate an institution for initial accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation.
  •  No institution in the U.S. is required to seek accreditation, but because of the recognized benefits of the process, including student eligibility for Title IV and other federal and state funds, most eligible institutions have sought to become accredited.

The programs listed below are also accredited by programmatic accrediting organizations:

  • The associate degree Nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.1 
  • The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation., American Dental Association.1
  • The Medical Assistant certificate program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
  • The Addiction Counselor program is accredited by the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission.
  • The Automotive T-TEN program is accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation and is a certified Toyota Technician Training Education Network (T-TEN) program.
1

Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

 
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