NWCCU Accreditation

• Accreditation provides a framework for continuous quality improvement that is guided by our Mission and core themes.
• TRU Mission now guides integrated planning and processes within all support services. All resource planning and development work synergistically towards achieving Mission fulfilment.
• reinforces for TRU students and their families—past, present and future—that a TRU education is a high-quality education, based on objective, comprehensive and internationally-recognized criteria
• indicates that TRU meets high standards, has applicable policies and procedures, and is committed to student success
• increases our accountability to stakeholders and helps foster public confidence in TRU's ability to fulfill its stated mission and strategic priorities, through regular external assessment of TRU's adherence to best-practice standards
• provides TRU with ongoing independent assessment of the institution as a whole, not just individual programs, disciplines or departments
• helps establish clearer benchmarks/standards for assessing learning outcomes and thus benefits students’ learning experiences
• makes it easier for TRU to share best practices with other institutions worldwide
• enhances the value of a TRU degree for domestic and international alumni, and makes it easier for students to transfer credits and have credentials recognized worldwide
• raises the provincial, national and international profile of TRU, which may increase opportunities for our faculty members and students
• enhances TRU’s ability to recruit world-class faculty and staff

In 2009, TRU began exploring the benefits of institutional (university-wide) accreditation in light of the province-wide interest in quality assurance for higher education institutions. In 2010, TRU prepared two reports on accreditation, including a Feasibility Study for US Accreditation. In December 2011, in the Senate report to the Board of Governors, the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic presented the timeline and budget for US accreditation. In the US, there are six regional organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to provide quality assurance and evaluate institutional effectiveness, of which the NWCCU is one. There is no equivalent body in Canada. In December 2012, a comparative analysis reviewing the different accreditation agency options was conducted, and the NWCCU was recommended as the most appropriate choice for TRU’s unique history and values.

In Canada, to the best of our knowledge, there are only four post-secondary institutions who have sought this type of institutional accreditation: Simon Fraser University, Capilano University and TRU, all through the NWCCU, and Athabasca University through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Yes, all institutions are measured against the same standards for accreditation.

Institutional accreditation is concerned with evaluating the institution as a whole and does not seek to deal with any particular program in great detail, although programs are reviewed as a part of the consideration of the entire institution. Specialized accrediting bodies, on the other hand, focus on specific programs to ensure that the details of that particular program meet the external accreditation standards.

NWCCU accredited institutions are expected to remain in good standing with other specialized accrediting bodies that have granted accreditation status to a program. The accreditation given by the NWCCU is an institutional level accreditation, and does not speak to specific program accreditation.

When accreditation is granted by the NWCCU, its Board of Commissioners sets the effective date of accreditation as Sept. 1 of the academic year in which the Commission takes action. Because the Commission granted TRU accreditation at its summer 2019 meeting—the 2018/19 academic year—our effective date of accreditation is Sept. 1, 2018.