Clark College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.
Clark College’s accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in 2008.
Clark College 2008 Accreditation |
About Accreditation
According to the U.S. Department of Education's Web site, "The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality."
On its Web site, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities notes: "Regional accreditation of post secondary institutions is a voluntary, non-governmental, self-regulatory process of quality assurance and institutional improvement. It recognizes higher education institutions for performance, integrity, and quality to merit the confidence of the educational community and the public. Accreditation or pre accreditation by a post secondary regional accrediting agency qualifies institutions and enrolled students for access to federal funds to support teaching, research, and student financial aid."
For information about accreditation standards and procedures, please contact:
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
8060 165th Ave. NW, Suite 100
Redmond WA 98052
(425) 558-4224
www.nwccu.org
The First Accreditation of Clark College
Spring 1937 brought the college's first accreditation by the University of Washington. At the invitation of the college, a committee or five professors from the university visited Clark on March 12, 1937.
According to the book "A History of the Vancouver Public Schools," the professors "inspected the accounts, the libraries and the laboratories, visited classes, conferred with instructors, chatted with students, had lunch with the board and talked with other members of the community."
The book reported: "Acknowledging the meagerness of facilities, the committee concluded that the quality of the work and the competence and earnestness of the faculty warranted the encouragement that accreditation would give."
As a result, Clark Junior College was accredited for one year. The announcement was made on April 23, 1937. One day later, The Columbian newspaper congratulated the "splendid little junior college" in an editorial.
The college has remained accredited throughout its history.
