About Accreditation

Accreditation in higher education is divided into institutional and programmatic accreditation. GW, the institution, is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of the six (former regional) accrediting organizations that is “recognized” for its quality reviews by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the United States Department of Education (USDE). Only institutions and / or programs accredited by U.S. recognized accrediting organizations are eligible to receive Title IV (federal financial aid grants or funds) and other federal funds.

Many programs within the professional schools at GW are also accredited by one of about 60 recognized programmatic accrediting organizations. For example, the Law School is accredited by the ABA, undergraduate programs in SEAS are accredited by ABET, and GWSB is accredited by AACSB. The Medical School has its own accrediting body, LCME, as does the School of Nursing (CCNE). The fine arts programs in the Corcoran School are accredited by NASAD, and the clinical psychology program and the professional psychology program in CCAS are accredited by the APA.

Accreditation reviews consist of a self-study, in which the institution or program demonstrates whether its operation meets the standards of the accrediting organization, a team visit, and final report, in which peer reviewers in the field or from other institutions visit the institution or program to determine if the standards of the accrediting body are being met.

A list of GW programs that are accredited by professional accrediting agencies can be found in the University Bulletin.

LCME contact info:  www.lcme.org | [email protected]