Accreditation

The hunt for the right college or university is a complicated one. In addition to obvious questions, such as tuition rates and which degree programs are offered, there’s one that many schools won’t be as straightforward about: accreditation.

Accreditation is awarded to an institute of higher learning by an independent, external group of peer reviewers who confirm that the college or university in question keeps the promises it makes to students.

Click here if you wish to file a complaint with the HLC.

The difference between a "regionally accredited" and "nationally accredited" school is a very important one when choosing the institution you will attend. Regional accreditation is highly regarded around the world because it is a comprehensive, peer-reviewed process that ensures a consistent standard of quality for higher education institutions. It is rooted in the history of traditional brick-and-mortar colleges and universities, and CSU Global is proud to be one of the few regionally accredited online universities.

Regional accreditation standards require that up to one-third of a degree program’s curriculum includes general education courses in social, natural and physical sciences, English, math, humanities, and art. Colleges and universities that are regionally accredited usually only accept transfer credits or degrees from other regionally accredited institutions.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits and thereby grants membership to educational institutions in the North Central region: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The HLC is recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

The HLC has designed the accreditation process to achieve its mission: Serving the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher education.

HLC accreditation is based on the thorough evaluation and fulfillment of five specific criteria:

Mission

Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct

Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support

Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement

Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness
 

Our accredited online degree programs include undergraduate degrees, master's degrees, and certificates of completion programs with the academic standards of a state university.

Effective May 16, 2016 the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission continued the accreditation of Colorado State University Global with the next Reaffirmation of Accreditation in 2025-26. This action was the result of an extensive 18-month self-study, review, and site visit completed within the 2015-2016 academic year. You can view the formal notification letter here. After the visit, the HLC updated its policies and CSU Global will undergo a comprehensive evaluation in 2020 as part of the new 10 year cycle for all institutions

As a regionally accredited public university that participates in federal financial aid programs, CSU Global works to ensure that it provides students with accurate and complete regulatory information. This includes documenting compliance with the state laws in any states where educational programming is offered as required by the U.S. Department of Education's Program Integrity Rules.

Not all states require state specific authorizations, and the activities that require authorization vary from state to state. Please direct any questions related to state authorizations to state.authorizations [at] csuglobal.edu.