Accreditation
University of Idaho 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.
Inquiries regarding an institution’s accredited 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
nwccu.org
University of Idaho was first accredited in 1918 and continues that status today. The university hosted its most recent visit for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness in April 2022.
Schedule of Evaluation:
- Spring 2023 Ad Hoc Report on Recommendation 3
- Spring 2025 Mid-Cycle Evaluation (Year Three) and review of Recommendations 1, 2, 4, and 5
- Spring 2028 Policies, Regulations, and Financial Review (PRFR – Year Six)
- Spring 2029 Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE-Year Seven)
University of Idaho will be asked to submit spring reports by Feb. 15.
Download U of I’s Reaffirmation of Accreditation Letter (PDF)
Sonny Ramaswamy, president of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), hosted an open forum at the University of Idaho on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. The meeting provided an opportunity for the university community to learn more about NWCCU and the new accreditation standards. This meeting was recorded and is available to view here.
See NWCCU’s Educational Programming page for scheduled professional development and/or learning opportunities related to accreditation.
The NWCCU Annual Conference is generally held each November in Seattle, WA.
Programmatic or specialized accreditation of educational programs, departments, or schools, is granted by a number of national organizations. Many programs at the University of Idaho have specialized accreditation.
| Accrediting Organization | Accredited Degree Program |
|---|---|
| AACSB International (AACSB) | Accounting - B.S.Bus. Business Economics - B.S.Bus. Finance - B.S.Bus. Management Information Systems - B.S.Bus. Management & Human Resources - B.S.Bus. Marketing - B.S.Bus. Operations Management - B.S.Bus. Accountancy - M.Acct. Executive M.B.A. College of Business |
| American Bar Association (ABA) | College of Law Law - J.D. |
| Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) (UG programs only) | Chemical Engineering - B.S.Ch.E. Computer Engineering - B.S.Comp.E. Electrical Engineering - B.S.E.E. Industrial Technology - B.S.Tech. Mechanical Engineering - B.S.M.E. Materials Science and Engineering - B.S.M.S.E. |
| ABET Computing Accreditation Association | Computer Science - B.S.C.S. |
| The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) | Advertising, Broadcasting & Digital Media, Journalism and Public Relations degree programs (BA and BS) |
| Accreditation Council on Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) | Dietetics, B.S.F.C.S. Dietetics, M.S. (candidacy for accreditation) |
| American Chemical Society (ACS) | Chemistry - B.S. |
| Association for Fire Ecology (AFE) | Fire Ecology & Management - B.S.Fire.Ecol.Mgmt. |
| American Society for Engineering Management | Engineering Management - M.Engr. |
| The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) | Industrial Technology - B.S.Tech. |
| The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education | Athletic Training - M.S.A.T. |
| Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (formerly NCATE, also covers PSC) | Career & Technical Education - BS.Ed. Elementary Education - BS.Ed. Secondary Education - BS.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction - M.A.T. Educational Leadership - M.Ed., Ed.S.Ed.Ldrshp. Physical Education - M.Ed. Special Education - M.Ed. Agricultural Education - BS.Ag.Ed., MS. Early Childhood Development and Education - BS.Erly.Childhd.Dev.Ed. Music Education - B.Mus. |
| Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) | Bachelor of Interior Architecture and Design |
| The Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA) | American Language & Culture Program (E.S.L.) |
| The Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professionals (COAPRT) | Recreation - B.S.Rec. |
| Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) | Psychology: Human Factors - M.S. |
| Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) | Food Science - B.S.F.S. |
| IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence External Advisory Committee (INBRE EAC)/NIH | Idaho INBRE (ID-INBRE) |
| Landscape Architecture Accrediting Board (LAAB) | Landscape Architecture - M.L.A. |
| National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) | Dual Credit Program |
| National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) | Architecture - M.Arch. |
| National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) | Art & Design - B.A., B.F.A. Art - M.F.A. Art Education - B.S.Art Ed. Virtual Technology & Design - B.S. |
| National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) | Music, B.A., B.S. Music Composition, B.Mus. Music Education, B.Mus. Music Performance, B. Mus. Music Business, B.Mus. Music History, M.A. Collaborative Piano, M.Mus. Composition, M.Mus. Music Education, M.Mus. Performance, M.Mus. Piano Pedagogy and Performance Studies, M.Mus. Choral Conducting. M.Mus. |
| National Council for Family Relations (NCFR) Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) | Child, Family, and Consumer Studies - B.S.F.C.S. Early Childhood Development and Education - B.S.Erly.Chldhd.Dev.Ed. Family and Consumer Sciences - M.S. |
| Professional Golfers Association (PGA) | Marketing - B.S.Bus., P.G.A. Golf Management Business Economics – B.Bus., P.G.A. Golf Management Finance – B.Bus., P.G.A. Golf Management Management and Information Systems – B.Bus., P.G.A. Golf Management Operations Management – B.Bus., P.G.A. Golf Management Management and Human Resources – B.Bus., P.G.A. Golf Management |
| Society of American Foresters (SAF) Committee on Accreditation (COA) | Forestry - B.S. |
| Society for Range Management (SRM) | Rangeland Ecology & Management - B.S.Rangeland Ecol.-Mgt. |
| Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) | Renewable Materials - B.S. |
| American Society of Engineering Management | Engineering Management - M.Engr. |