Accreditation
Accreditation is a professional peer review process by which educational institutions and programs are provided technical assistance and are evaluated for quality based on established academic and administrative standards.
Accreditation is a process that assures the educational community and the general public that an institution or a program has clearly defined and appropriate objectives and maintains conditions under which their achievement can reasonably be expected. Accreditation encourages improvement through continuous self-study and review and fosters excellence in postsecondary education through the development of principles and guidelines for assessing educational and institutional effectiveness.
Institutional Accreditation
“Institutional" accreditation applies to the entire institution, indicating that each of an institution’s parts is contributing to the achievement of the institution's objectives. Institutional accrediting bodies are either regional or national. Regional accreditors concentrate on a specific area of the country.
Specialized Accreditation
"Specialized" or "programmatic" accreditation normally applies to programs, departments, or schools that are parts of an institution. Programs in education and business are examples of programs requiring specialized accreditation. The Office of the Provost maintains information about specialized and programmatic accreditation.
Year of Initial Accreditation: 1969
Year of Most Recent Reaffirmation of Accreditation: 2015
Year of Next Reaffirmation Decision: 2025
2015 Reaffirmation Approval Letter
The University of West Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. The University of West Florida also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of The University of West Florida may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Normal inquiries about the University of West Florida (UWF), such as admission requirements, financial aid, education programs, etc., should be addressed to UWF and not to the Commission's office. The Commission is to be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support UWF's significant non-compliance with a Commission requirement or standard.