About Us

Mission

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges supports its member institutions to advance educational quality and student learning and achievement. This collaboration fosters institutional excellence and continuous improvement through innovation, self-analysis, peer review, and application of standards.

Geographic Scope and Institution Types

ACCJC accredits institutions in the United States, its territories and affiliates, with a primary mission of granting associate degrees; institutions accredited by ACCJC may also award certificates and other credentials, including bachelor’s degrees, if those credentials are within the institution’s mission and authorized by their governmental authorities. ACCJC may also accredit non-domestic institutions, which have as a primary mission, the granting of associate degrees.

ACCJC Map

Expressing our core values

Quality Assurance
Because our processes are based on thorough and recognized best practices, our determination that an institution is in fact providing a quality educational experience for its students is respected by multiple stakeholders.

Student Learning and Achievement
Students are the grounding point for every Standard and aspect of the review process, the end goal of each evaluation, and the driving passion of the faculty and staff at our member institutions.

Integrity
Every interaction with our members is guided by our commitment to the principles of transparency and consistency. This creates mutual and clear understandings and ensures fair and value-adding results for institutions.

Peer Review
One of America’s best contributions to education is the peer review process. Through its proven powers, the peer review process allows members of the academic community to serve their colleagues by providing rich feedback that identifies commendations and areas for improvement.

Collegiality
The work of accreditation is mediated through the relationships that are formed among all the participants, characterized by mutual respect, collaboration, and engagement around common interests.

Institutional Improvement
ACCJC Standards create an institutional culture reflective of higher education’s best practices to guide and strengthen an ongoing culture of continuous quality improvement.

Recognition

The ACCJC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) as a reliable authority regarding the quality of education offered by the institutions that we accredit in keeping with the Higher Education Act of 1965. The Department of Education conducts a review of accrediting commissions every five years and confers recognition on agencies that continue to meet its criteria. Institutions wishing to provide students with federal financial aid must seek accreditation from a ED-recognized accrediting body.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has established criteria that define a quality review system for accrediting agencies. Although CHEA recognition is voluntary, many accrediting agencies participate in the CHEA quality review process as part of their own efforts to establish and maintain quality practices. In its January 2021 action, CHEA renewed its recognition of ACCJC for seven years.

Bylaws

ACCJC is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation and is not organized for the private gain of any person. It is organized under the Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporations Law of the State of California for public and charitable purposes.

History of the ACCJC

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, (WASC), was formed in 1962 to promote the development of higher education in the Western region when it took over and further formalized the work of its predecessor organization, the Western College Association. WASC was previously incorporated as a single 501c3 entity that encompassed the three commissions (WASC Senior College and University Commission, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges).

In 2012-2013 the three commissions re-incorporated as separate organizations with independent scopes and governance structures.

For more information about the two other commissions previously included in WASC, visit their websites at:
WASC Senior College and University Commission
And
Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Background on Accreditation

Accreditation as a system of voluntary, non-governmental, self-regulation, and peer review is unique to American educational institutions. It is a system by which an institution evaluates itself in accordance with standards of good practice regarding mission, goals, and objectives; the appropriateness, sufficiency, and utilization of resources; the usefulness, integrity, and effectiveness of its processes; and the extent to which it is achieving its intended student achievement and student learning outcomes, at levels generally acceptable for higher education. It is a process by which accreditors provide students, the public, and each other with assurances of institutional integrity and effectiveness and educational quality.