Accreditation

What is accreditation and why is it important?

Accreditation is the act of granting credit or recognition, by a governing body, of an educational institution. Accreditation is necessary to any educational institution to prove that they are maintaining suitable standards or quality. The University of Idaho relies on the following accrediting associations standards to evaluate and accept college-level credits and all grades earned by transfer students:

• Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Western Association of Schools and Colleges
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE)
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (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)

Credit Review Process

If your institution is not accredited by one of the above associations, then the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) will have to review your courses and will make the final decision if the courses will transfer. Should you wish to have your courses reviewed by the UCC, you must submit the following to the Office of the Registrar:

• A letter indicating the specific courses you want to have reviewed
• An official transcript from the institution
• Course descriptions and syllabi for each course to be reviewed

The Office of the Registrar will then forward the course information to the corresponding academic department for their review. After the Office of the Registrar has received the recommendations from the corresponding department(s) all of the information will be presented to the UCC. At that time, the UCC may request additional information from the student.

Upon approval by the UCC, the decision on each course will be sent to the Office of the Registrar, who in-turn will notify the student and record the approved courses on the transfer portion of the student's transcript.

Credits earned at an institution that is a suspected diploma/degree mill will not be acceptable to the University of Idaho.