Accreditation

Gonzaga as an Institution

Gonzaga University is accredited, as an institution, by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation is a judgment by a regional accreditation body that we are carrying out our mission. Internally, it is a process that helps us to identify our successes and our failures with the goal of continuous improvement in serving our students and our other constituents. It is recognized as a public indicator of institutional value and essential for receiving federal financial aid.

External evaluators representing NWCCU will visit Gonzaga University April 19-21, 2021 virtually, as part of the accreditation process. During this time, the evaluation team has set aside time to meet specifically and exclusively with faculty members, staff members and students. These open forums provide the opportunity for Gonzaga community members to speak freely with the Commission to share perspectives about our institutional mission.

Schedule of Open Forums with NWCCU Evaluators (2021)

• Students: Monday, April 19; 3-3:50 p.m.
• Faculty (excluding Department Chairs and Deans): Monday, April 19; Noon-12:50 p.m.
• Staff (excluding those in supervisory roles, such as Directors, Deans or VPs): Tuesday, April 20, 2-2:50 p.m.

Check Morning Mail for Zoom links to the virtual open forums.

In addition to institutional accreditation, Gonzaga participates in more specialized accreditation for various programs, listed below. 

School of Business

The School of Business is accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a specialized accrediting board recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

School of Law

The School of Law is accredited by Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association (ABA). The U.S. Department of Education has recognized the Council as the national agency for the accreditation of programs leading to the first professional degree in law.

English as a Second Language Programs

Programs in English as a Second Language are accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), a specialized accrediting board recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Department of Nursing

Programs in the Department of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a specialized accrediting board recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

School of Engineering & Applied Science

The BS degree programs in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Engineering and Engineering Management are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org/. The BS degree program in Computer Science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org/.

School of Education

All degree programs and certification programs in the School of Education are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), a specialized accrediting board recognized by the Council for Higher Education and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education and fully approved by the Washington State Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB).

School of Counseling

The School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Marriage and Family Counseling master’s programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Anesthesiology Education Master's Program

The Anesthesiology Education master's program is accredited by the Council of Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs (COA), part of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).

Master's Programs offered in Canada

Master's programs offered in British Columbia, Canada by the School of Education have received consent from the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education and the Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB). Master's programs offered in Alberta, Canada have been approved by the Alberta Ministry of Education and Technology, and the Campus Alberta Quality Council (CAQC).

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To file a complaint with our accrediting body, please follow the steps outlined in this document. California residents, visit DCA.gov.

The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) has authority to investigate student complaints against specific schools. WSAC may not be able to investigate every student complaint. Visit https://www.wsac.wa.gov/student-complaints for information regarding the WSAC complaint process.