Accreditation & Recognition

Ensuring a Quality Education

The role of accreditation, according to the U.S. Department of Education, "is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality." While the U.S. Department of Education does not accredit institutions or programs, the Secretary of the Department of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that are deemed to be reliable authorities on the quality of education. In addition, the Department of Education maintains a database of accredited institutions of higher learning on its website. 

Regional Accreditation

Norwich University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.).

Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Commission indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied though 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 Commission 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 the accreditation status by the Commission should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals may also contact:

New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100, Burlington, MA 01803-4514
(781) 425 7785
E-Mail: info@neche.org

Professional Accreditations

A few of Norwich's programs have additional, industry-specific accreditation: The baccalaureate degree program in nursing program at Norwich University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). The master's degree program in nursing and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Norwich University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). The Master of Business Administration program, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP); the Project Management concentration in Norwich's MBA program is accredited by the PMI Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs (GAC), the leading professional association worldwide for the project management field; and through the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program, Norwich is recognized by SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management) to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.

Recognition of Academic Excellence

The story of Norwich's strong recognition continues. We were one of the first institutions, for example, to be designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. Websites with reviews from actual students offer very favorable reviews of the student experience, as do our alumni testimonials and career outcomes. Perhaps most telling of all were the results from our survey of the class of 2014. As an affirmation of their own academic experience, more than 96% of graduates would recommend an online program at Norwich University to someone they knew.