MINNEAPOLIS – Feb. 22, 2018 – North Central University announced this week it has earned its reaccreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, effective Feb. 13, 2018, with the next Reaffirmation of Accreditation scheduled for 2027–28.
Accreditation is a 10-year process, with the HLC visiting the school once every decade. North Central’s reaccreditation site visit took place Oct. 2–3, 2017, the culmination of more than two years of effort that included data gathering, committee work, and preparation of a comprehensive report submitted to the HLC prior to the visit.
During the site visit, the accreditation team, made up of representatives from other HLC-accredited institutions, met with administration, faculty, students, staff, board members, and alumni, to confirm information in the report and gather feedback on multiple aspects of institutional performance.
In addition to the reaccreditation affirmation, the HLC approved the institution’s request to offer distance education programs. With this approval, North Central’s first fully online programs will include the Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership and an Associate of Arts in Church Leadership, beginning in fall 2018.
“This is a magnificent day for North Central,” President Scott Hagan said. “Under the direction of Provost Don Tucker and Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness Greg Leeper, the accreditation process could not have gone any better. Reaccreditation was an expected conclusion, but always comes with a sense of institutional pride and gratitude to God for the work being done. With our ability to move quickly into the online realm, I see North Central moving into one of the most exciting eras in our history.”
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes 19 states. After its beginnings as a Bible college, North Central University was first accredited in 1986.
