University of Puget Sound is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). You can learn more about the NWCCU and accreditation at www.nwccu.org.

Campus building walkway

Accreditation by the NWCCU is not permanent nor awarded for a fixed number of years. Rather, accreditation must be reaffirmed periodically through a process of self evaluation and peer evaluation grounded in the commission's Standards for Accreditation. Review or evaluation occurs at specific points during a seven-year cycle. The current standards require a Mid-Cycle Review in year three; a Policies, Regulations and Financial Review (PRFR) in year six; and the Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE) in year seven. Each of these requires a self-evaluation report written by the institution followed by an on-site visit of peer evaluators. The peer evaluators submit a written evaluation which is shared with the Commission, who review both reports and take action of either reaffirming accreditation, asking for additional information, or taking other action. 

 

Program Accreditation & Memberships

In addition to institutional accreditation from the NWCCU, the following programs have specialized accreditation or status:

  • The Bachelor of Science Degree in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Puget Sound is approved by the American Chemical Society.
  • The School of Education at the University of Puget Sound meets the standards of the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) for professional certification of teachers and school counselors. The Master of Education in Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
  • The School of Music at the University of Puget Sound is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, the accrediting agency designated by the United States Department of Education as the agency responsible for the accreditation of music curricula in higher education. In the field of teacher education, NASM cooperates with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The NASM is also a constituent member of the American Council of Education. Baccalaureate programs accredited include professional degrees in performance, music education, music with elective studies in business, and the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music.
  • The School of Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number, c/o AOTA, is (301) 652-AOTA, and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the graduate will be an occupational therapist, registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT certification examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
  • The School of Physical Therapy is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: 703.706.3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http//www.capteonline.org. Accreditation qualifies the physical therapy graduate to take the licensing examination offered by any of the 50 states.

Enrolled or prospective students wishing to review documents describing the university’s accreditation may do so in the Associate Deans’ Office, Jones 212.

 

Public Notification of Comprehensive Visit

The University of Puget Sound is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCC). This status provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

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 provides reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Currently, Puget Sound is engaged in Year 7 of the NWCCU accreditation cycle. In the Spring of 2025, the university will officially submit its Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE) report to the commission, which expands upon the standards covered in its 2024 Policies, Regulations, and Finances Review, which is available below. A team of NWCCU reviewers will visit campus to engage in an official and comprehensive site visit from April 23–25, 2025. The purpose of the visit is for the review team to learn more about the institution directly from faculty, staff, students, and administrators to complement and confirm the material in the EIE report.

This message functions as official notification to the campus community and the public about the comprehensive visit in April. For upcoming evaluations such as this one, members of the public and third parties may submit comments electronically to NWCCU at https://nwccu.org/upcoming-evaluations/. Comments can also be sent mailed to the commission at the following address:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
8060 165th Avenue N.E. Suite 100
Redmond, WA 98052

NWCCU accepts comments up to ten days prior to the start of the comprehensive visit.

Date posted: January 22, 2025

Accreditation Reports and Documentation

The links below are for internal use only at the University of Puget Sound, and are not for public dissemination.

2025 Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness

Puget Sound’s Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness (EIE) was submitted to NWCCU in February 2025. The EIE report is submitted during the final year of the institution’s seven-year accreditation cycle and focuses on Standard One: Student Success & Institutional Mission and Effectiveness. The submission of the report is followed by a comprehensive site visit by a team of NWCCU reviewers, scheduled for April 23–25, 2025.

You must be signed in to your Puget Sound account to view this report.

 

2024 Policies, Regulations, and Finances Review

Puget Sound’s Policies, Regulations, and Finances Review (PRFR) was submitted to NWCCU in February 2024. The PRFR is submitted during year six of the institution's seven-year accreditation cycle and focuses on Standard Two: Governance, Resources, and Capacity.

You must be signed in to your Puget Sound account to view this report.

 

2021 Mid-Cycle Review

Puget Sound’s Mid-Cycle Review took place in Spring 2021 and included an institutional report and a peer evaluation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the visit was virtual, and an onsite visit will be arranged when it can be done safely. The purpose of the Mid-Cycle Review is to provide feedback to the institution in preparation for the Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness, and focuses on student achievement and program assessment. In 2021, Puget Sound profiled the Core Curriculum and the Gender and Queer Studies program. 

2019 Year One Mission and Core Themes Report

In 2019, under the previous standards, Puget Sound submitted a Year One Mission and Core Themes Report. The Commission reviewed that report and reaffirmed our accreditation.

2017 Demonstration Project

Under the 2010 Standards, Puget Sound was scheduled to have a Year Seven comprehensive evaluation in 2017. As part of the commission's efforts to improve evaluation processes, Puget Sound was invited to take part in a demonstration project in lieu of a regular Year Seven evaluation. Beginning in December 2014, we worked with the commission and three other institutions-Columbia Basin College, University of Montana, and University of Oregon-to develop and test variations on the evaluation process. Therefore, our self evaluation report is in the form of a demonstration project report submitted to the commission in March 2017. Following that submission two peer evaluators-the provosts of Lewis & Clark College and Rocky Mountain College-visited campus in April 2017 to review the report and meet with members of the campus community to learn more about our work. Based on their review of our report and their visit, the peer evaluators submitted their independent report to the commission. As a final step in the process, Puget Sound representatives appeared before the NWCCU Board of Commissioners in June 2017 to address questions and discuss both Puget Sound's accreditation and lessons learned from the demonstration project. On the basis of our self evaluation report, the peer evaluation report, and the board appearance, the commission reaffirmed Puget Sound's accreditation in a July 2017 letter.

2018 Ad Hoc Report

Per the July 2017 NWCCU letter, Puget Sound was asked to continue addressing Recommendation 1 from the 2013 Year Three evaluation, with an ad hoc report due to the commission in Spring 2018. This recommendation concerned 2010 Standard 2.C.2: “The institution identifies and publishes expected course, program, and degree learning outcomes. Expected student learning outcomes for courses, wherever offered and however delivered, are provided in written form to enrolled students.”

The Year Three recommendation itself reads: “The Evaluation Committee recommends that the University of Puget Sound take action to ensure that intended student learning outcomes are listed in all syllabi and in all program descriptions.”

While Puget Sound published degree and program learning outcomes, some work remained to ensure expected course learning outcomes are provided in written form for all courses. The ad hoc response was submitted in March 2018, with notification that the recommendation was addressed and no further action required. 

2018 Puget Sound Ad Hoc Report (PDF)
2018 Puget Sound Ad Hoc Commission Action (PDF)

Verification Letter

For the purposes of external reporting, a letter verifying Puget Sound’s accreditation is available. 

Related Links