Accreditation

More information

Office of the Executive Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs
16101 Greenwood Ave. N.
Shoreline, WA 98133
206-546-4652

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

www.nwccu.org

Shoreline Community College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. 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.

Accreditation status

Shoreline Community College was granted initial accreditation by Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) in 1966 and has had successful compliance ever since. Shoreline's accreditation was most recently reaffirmed on Feb. 3, 2012 in a letter from the NWCCU following submission of its Comprehensive Report . On Sept. 16, 2013, Shoreline submitted its Year One Self-Evaluation Report, the first step in the next seven-year accreditation cycle.

Accreditation process

The accreditation process is a seven-year cycle. Each of the five Standards for Accreditation is addressed by the college during that period:

• Year 1
  • Standard One: Mission, core themes  and expectations
• Year 3
  • Standard Two:  Resources and capacities
• Year 7
  • Standard 3: Planning and implementation
  • Standard 4: Effectiveness and improvement
  • Standard 5: Mission fulfillment, adaptation and sustainability

Other program-specific accreditations