About Accreditation

What is Accreditation? 
In the United States, schools and colleges voluntarily seek accreditation from non-governmental bodies. There are two types of educational accreditation: institutional and specialized.

Why is Accreditation Important?
Accreditation by a regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education serves several purposes. Accreditation provides assurance to stakeholders (e.g. citizens, students, parents, legislators) that the institution meets clear quality standards for educational and financial performance, and that it is reasonable to assume the institution will continue to do so. This quality assurance by a federally-recognized body also meets requirements necessary for the institution to receive and manage federal financial aid funds. The accreditation process also provides a periodic opportunity and incentive for the institution to review, assess, and advance the quality of its educational and financial operations.

Criteria for Accreditation
The Higher Learning Commission will evaluate WVSU according to four criteria for accreditation:

1. Criterion 1. Mission: The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations. [no change].
2. Criterion 2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct: In fulfilling its mission, the institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.
3. Criterion 3. Teaching and Learning for Student Success: The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness in fulfilling its mission. The rigor and quality of each educational program is consistent regardless of modality, location or other differentiating factors.
4. Criterion 4. Sustainability: Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning. The institution’s resources, structures, policies, procedures and planning enable it to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational programs, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

 Each criterion includes core components, which identify areas of focus within the criterion. Sub-components further elaborate some core components. You can see each criterion’s components by visiting the HLC’s website.

Federal Compliance
As a federally recognized accreditor, the HLC is required to assure the federal government that WVSU meets its Title IV program responsibilities. HLC’s Federal Compliance Program

WVSU must provide evidence for its compliance with regulations:

• Credits, program length, and tuition
• Student complaints
• Transfer policies
• Verification of student identity
• Title IV program and related responsibilities
• Institutional disclosures and advertising recruitment materials
• Relationships with other accrediting agencies and with state regulatory bodies
• Public notification of the comprehensive evaluation visit and third party comment

What is the Current Status of WVSU’s Accreditation?

West Virginia State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. West Virginia State University has maintained continuous accreditation by the Higher Learning Committee (HLC) since 1927. Of all West Virginia’s higher education institutions, West Virginia State University has the longest record of continuous accreditation.

HLC conducts comprehensive evaluations of member institutions to confirm that the institution continues to meet the Criteria for Accreditation, is pursuing institutional improvement and complies with requirements sets by the U.S. Department of Education. Evaluations are conducted by teams of peer reviewers.

For accredited institutions, comprehensive evaluations occur at different points along each pathway for reaffirmation of accreditation. The HLC conducted an in-depth review of WVSU’s academic programs in 2015 and reaffirmed the University’s accreditation for another ten years. The Standard Pathway Comprehensive Review Year Four occurred in April 2020.  The next in-depth review will occur in fall 2025.   

Great resources for understanding accreditation in the United States are:
The Fundamentals of Accreditation: What Do You Need to Know? (PDF) by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Institutional Accreditation: An Overview (PDF) by the Higher Learning Commission.

For questions or comments regarding the University’s reaffirmation of accreditation process or the assurance argument, please send all inquiries and information to academicaffairs@wvstateu.edu or call (304) 766-3189.

 Institutional Accreditation

There are six regional associations, each named after the region in which it operates. The United States is divided into six accreditation regions: New England, Middle States, North Central, Southern, Western and Northwest. Seven accrediting commissions operate in these regions.The accrediting organizations identified in this directory are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Recognition by CHEA affirms that the standards and processes of the accrediting organization are consistent with the academic quality, improvement and accountability expectations that CHEA has established, including the eligibility standard that the majority of institutions or programs each accredits are degree-granting.

Click here to download the complete  2018-2019 Directory of CHEA Recognized Organizations as a pdf file.

• Higher Learning Commission (HLC) 
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) 
• New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) 
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) 
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) 

The regional associations are independent of one another, but they cooperate extensively and acknowledge one another’s accreditation. Several national associations focus on particular kinds of institutions, for example, trade and technical colleges, and religious colleges and universities. 

An institutional accrediting agency evaluates an entire educational institution in terms of its mission and the agency’s standards or criteria. It accredits the institution as a whole. Besides assessing formal educational activities, it evaluates such things as governance and administration, financial stability, admissions and student services, institutional resources, student learning, institutional effectiveness, and relationships with internal and external constituencies.