Accreditation

Institutional Accreditation

  • Pacific Lutheran University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).

Accreditation of an institution of higher education by NWCCU indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality evaluated through a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Accreditation by the NWCCU is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Inquiries regarding an institution’s accredited status by NWCCU should be directed to the NWCCU accreditation liaison officer of PLU. Individuals may also contact:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
8060 165th Ave NE, Suite 200
Redmond, WA 98052
425-558-4224
www.nwccu.org

  • National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) Participation

Pacific Lutheran University has been approved by Washington state to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. For more information about NC-SARA, please visit http://www.nc-sara.org.

For more information about state authorizations for distance and online education at Pacific Lutheran University, please view the document Top 5 Things to Know.

Program Accreditation

  • AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
  • National Association of Schools of Music
  • Council on Social Work Education
  • Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET for BS in computer science

Program Certification

  • American Chemical Society

Program Approval

  • Professional Educator Standards Board, State of Washington

Notification

Pacific Lutheran University is a member of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). NWCCU is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

PLU is fully accredited and in good standing with the NWCCU. The commission will conduct an Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness of Pacific Lutheran University on April 2-4, 2025. The Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness is the culminating evaluation of the current seven-year accreditation cycle. A successful report and visit is necessary to maintain our accreditation standing with the commission. The last comprehensive evaluation and visit of the university occurred in the Spring of 2018. Since then, Pacific Lutheran University has successfully undertaken a Year One Report (2019), A Mid-Cycle Report (2021); and the Policies, Regulations and Financial Report and review (2024).

Public comments related to the accreditation of PLU may be submitted to the NWCCU no later than March 21, 2025. Comments may be submitted via the NWCCU website or by mail at the addresses provided below. Details about Pacific Lutheran University’s accreditation cycle, along with past reports and Commission Letters can be found on the university’s Accreditation webpage.

Send comments electronically:
https://nwccu.org/upcoming-evaluations/

Send comments via mail to:
Attn: Third-Party Comment
8060 165th Ave NE, Suite 200
Redmond, WA 98052