Accreditation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Accreditation is a voluntary, peer review process. It serves 4 main purposes: (1) to assure quality to the public, (2) to ease student transfer between institutions by signaling quality, (3) provides institutions with access to federal financial aid, and (4) certifies a graduate’s credentials to employers.

An “accredited” university meets the Standards for Accreditation established by an accrediting agency. The Standards ensure that an institution has appropriate and clear goals, sufficient resources to achieve them, is fulfilling its objectives, and will continue to do so. 

The process provides colleges and universities with an opportunity for reflection, honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses, along with a chance to develop strategies for continued improvement.  

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.) accredits Harvard University. NECHE is one of six regional accrediting organizations in the United States. More information can be found at www.neche.org.  

Accreditors, such as NECHE, are organizations federally recognized through the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), a bipartisan committee established under the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1992. NACIQI recognition indicates that an accreditor can adequately determine whether an institution is of sufficient quality to qualify for federal funds for financial aid and other programs.

In addition, NECHE is recognized through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which has five standards for accreditors: (1) They are required to advance academic quality, (2) They demonstrate accountability, (3) They encourage purposeful change and needed improvement, (4) They employ appropriate and fair procedures in decision-making, and (5) They continually reassess accreditation. 

According to NECHE, accredited institutions are typically reviewed for accreditation every ten years. That process, called the comprehensive evaluation, begins with the preparation of a self-study, which typically takes 12-18 months to prepare and addresses all of the Standards for Accreditation.  After reading the self-study, a committee consisting of faculty and administrators from similar institutions visits campus to meet with the university president, faculty, students, and staff. The committee provides recommendations to the Commission, which then makes its determination regarding accreditation.

Between comprehensive evaluations, institutions update the Commission on their progress and plans in an Interim Report, which is typically submitted five years after the self-study. 

NECHE Standards for Accreditation, most recently revised in 2021, examine “institutional quality” in nine areas, which are:

1. Mission and Purposes
2. Planning and Evaluation
3. Organization and Governance
4. The Academic Program
5. Students
6. Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
7. Institutional Resources
8. Educational Effectiveness
9. Integrity, Transparency, and Public Disclosure

More detailed information about the Standards for Accreditation can be found on the NECHE website.

Harvard University’s last comprehensive evaluation took place in Fall 2017, and its accreditation was continued on April 19, 2018 by the 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.). The University’s interim (fifth-year) report submitted for consideration in August 2022 has been accepted. The next comprehensive evaluation will be scheduled for Fall 2027.

NECHE welcomes public comments, which can be emailed to info@neche.org or mailed to the following address:

Public Comment on Harvard University
New England Commission of Higher Education
301 Edgewater Place, Suite 210
Wakefield, MA 01880