Accreditation

Accreditation at Heritage University

Heritage University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).  Regional accreditation of postsecondary institutions is a voluntary process of quality assurance and institutional improvement.  It qualifies institutions and enrolled students for access to federal funds to support teaching, research, and student financial aid.

Regional Accreditation follows a seven-year cycle. From 2010 through 2020, there were Five Standards. The 2020 Standards have been condensed into two:

Standard One: Student Success and Institutional Mission and Effectiveness
Standard Two: Governance, Resources, and Capacity

The timeline below summarizes the accreditation history of Heritage:

1982	Heritage College began granting academic credit as successor to Fort Wright College of the Holy Names in Spokane, Washington (which closed on June 30, 1982).
1986	Heritage College received accreditation, retroactive to September 1, 1985.
2004	Heritage College was designated “Heritage University.”
2011	Accreditation visit and self-study report from Heritage to NWCCU on 2010 Standards One through Five, with accreditation reaffirmed.
2012	Self-study report from Heritage to NWCCU on 2010 Standard One, with accreditation reaffirmed.
2013	Self-study report from Heritage to NWCCU on 2010 Standards One and Two, with virtual visit and accreditation reaffirmed.
2019	Self-study report from Heritage to NWCCU on 2010 Standards One through Five, with accreditation reaffirmed.

The next NWCCU accreditation report is a regularly scheduled Mid-Cycle Self-Evaluation report, due Spring 2022. The Mid-Cycle Evaluation is “intended to ascertain an institution’s readiness to provide evidence (outcomes0 of mission fulfillment and sustainability in the Year Seven.” (see NWCCU Institutional Reports page for more information.)

Heritage College began granting academic credit on July 1, 1982, as successor to Fort Wright College of the Holy Names in Spokane, Washington, which closed on June 30, 1982. Heritage College received accreditation June 16, 1986, retroactive to September 1, 1985. In 2004, Heritage College was designated Heritage University. Accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in 2019.

In addition to regional accreditation, separate programs at Heritage are accredited as follows:

Medical Laboratory Science: The MLS program at Heritage is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Lab Sciences (NAACLS). Accreditation was confirmed in April 2018 for 10 years.

Education: State of Washington approval through the Professional Education Standards Board (PESB) has been granted to the following education programs: Residency Teacher; and Residency Principal/Program Administrator. Accreditation is reaffirmed annually.

Nursing: The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Heritage University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. The program was accredited in January 2018 for 5 years. It is also approved by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.

Physician Assistant: ARC-PA has accepted the voluntary withdrawal of the Heritage University PA Program from the ARC-PA accreditation process.  Effective May 31, 2021, ARC-PA shall withdraw accreditation from the Heritage University PA Program.  Subject to fulfillment of all requirements imposed by the ARC-PA, the Heritage University PA Program will remain accredited on probation through May 31, 2021.  The Heritage University PA Program will not accept any new students for enrollment.  Specific questions regarding the Heritage University PA Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or Dr. Andrew Sund, President.

Social Work: The Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree was accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) effective with the class of 1997. The program was re-accredited in 2019.

Email us at accreditation@heritage.edu with questions.

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Heritage University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Its accreditation status was most recently reaffirmed in spring 2019 after the acceptance of the university’s Year Seven Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE) report and site visit.