What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is the recognition from an accrediting agency that an institution maintains a certain level of educational standards. Accreditation simply means a quality check.
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions of higher education in the following nineteen-states: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Western New Mexico University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the US Department of Education. As a “gatekeeper” agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, HLC assures that institutions comply with federal and state requirements, assess student learning, engage in institution-wide planning processes, are financially responsible, and evaluate and improve programming and services through analysis of data. WNMU proudly embraces the guiding values that underlie the five Criteria for Accreditation.
The Obligations of Membership describe HLC’s expectations regarding an institution’s participation in evaluations and other processes, communication with HLC and its constituents related to accreditation, and other aspects of the accreditation relationship.
More information on the accreditation process is available directly from the Higher Learning Commission or by mail at:
Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(800) 621-7440