Accreditation is a process of validation in which colleges, universities and other
institutions of higher learning are evaluated against a set of pre-defined standards.
Regional accreditation in the Northwest region is largely carried out through peer
review. In order for potential colleges to be accredited, they must meet the general
standards set by the peer review accreditation boards.
LCC is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU),
one of the United States' regional accrediting bodies that is recognized by the United
States Department of Education.
We are responsible for showing that we meet a number of eligibility requirements and
five standards during a seven-year review cycle. There are four primary components
of accreditation:
- Mission (state of intended purposes) - covered in standard 1
- Compliance (inputs, outputs and processes) - covered in standard 2
- Outcomes (student learning outcomes) - covered in standards 3 and 4
- Improvement (evidence of enhanced effectiveness) - covered in standards 3, 4 and 5
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