Accreditation
Institutional Accreditation
Shoreline College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and has been since 1966. Shoreline is a member institution with the NWCCU. The NWCCU is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Shoreline’s accreditation status was reaffirmed by the NWCCU following the College’s
last comprehensive evaluation.
Accreditation by the NWCCU is not partial but applies to Shoreline College as a whole.
It indicates that the institution as a whole is substantially achieving its mission
and that it meets the Commission’s expectations for compliance with the accreditation
criteria.
Questions about the accreditation status of Shoreline College can be directed to the College’s administrative staff:
Ann Garnsey-Harter
Accreditation Liaison Officer
agarnsey@shoreline.edu
206-546-5879
Or questions can be directed to the NWCCU itself:
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
8060 165th Avenue N.E., Suite 200
Redmond, WA 98052
(425) 558‐4224
nwccu.org
Why Accreditation Is Important
Post-secondary accreditation is a process of recognizing educational institutions
for performance, integrity and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the
educational community and the public. In the United States, this recognition is extended
largely through nongovernmental, voluntary membership associations that establish
accreditation criteria, evaluate institutions against that criteria, and approving
institutions that meet the criteria.
Accreditation qualifies institutions and enrolled students for access to federal funds
to support teaching, research and student financial aid and assures students that
credits earned will transfer to other accredited institutions.
The process of accreditation helps the College dedicate time to reflect on its programs
and processes, what it does well, where it needs to improve, and how well it serves
its mission and goals and therefore its students. This self-analysis helps the institution
become a more effective organization.
Specialized Accrediting Agencies
Institutional accreditation (described above) applies to the institution as a whole,
not individual programs or units within the institution. Some individual educational
programs, however, are accredited through specialized accrediting agencies based on
program-specific standards, definitions of eligibility, and operating procedures.
Accreditation by a specialized accrediting agency is one means of assuring quality
of the individual accredited programs. Shoreline offers the following educational
programs that are accredited by programmatic the following accrediting agencies:
- The Automotive Program is accredited by the Automotive Service Excellence Education Foundation (ASEEF).
- The Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
- The Health Informatics & Information Management (HIIM) Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
- The Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) Program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).
- The Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in
Nursing (ACEN).
Accreditation Documents
Below are links to the college's recent accreditation reports and action letters.
- Fall 2025 Ad Hoc Report: Response from the NWCCU
- Fall 2025 Ad Hoc Report: MIssion Fulfillment
- Spring 2025 Ad Hoc Report: Response from the NWCCU
- Spring 2025 Ad Hoc Report: Bachelor of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene
- 2024 Mid-Cycle Response from the NWCCU
- 2024 Mid-Cycle Peer-Evaluation Report
- 2024 Mid-Cycle Self Evaluation Report and Appendices
- 2023 BAS Substantive Change Response from the NWCCU
- 2023 Ad Hoc Response from the NWCCU
- 2022 Ad Hoc Evaluation Report
- 2022 Ad Hoc Report
- 2022 Ad Hoc Visit Delay from the NWCCU
- 2021 Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability Response from the NWCCU
- 2020 Peer Evaluation Report
- 2020 Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability Report
- 2020 Ad Hoc Response from the NWCCU
- 2019 Ad Hoc Self-Study
- 2019 Core Theme Substantive Change Response from the NWCCU
- 2019 Core Themes Substantive Change Follow-up Report
- Fall 2018 Ad Hoc Response from the NWCCU
- 2018 Ad Hoc Self-Study
- 2018 Core Themes Substantive Change
- 2015 Mid-Cycle Self-Evaluation Study Report and Appendices
- 2013 Year One Self-Evaluation Report
Programmatic Accrediting Agencies
Programmatic accrediting agencies accredit individual educational programs within an institution with regard to program-specific standards and have specific definitions of eligibility and operating procedures. Shoreline offers the following educational programs that are accredited by programmatic accrediting agencies:
