Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is charged with overseeing schools on all levels in a number of states and territories. It is one of six similar regional associations in the United States that review accreditation requests from schools at the primary, secondary, college and university levels. WASC's territory includes the states of California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau and more. Any area in the Pacific and East Asia that has American or International schools or colleges can apply for its review, as well.

WASC accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by state departments of education. Accreditation status means that schools live up to the strict educational and program requirements set forth by this agency. The status is one that speaks to the quality of programs, gives diplomas and degrees a bit of weight and is looked for by colleges to approve students' previous educational achievements based on the quality of the programs they attended.

Since it covers such an expansive territory and variety of schools, WASC is broken up into three separate sub-agencies. Each sub-agency has its own unique review process and criteria for accreditation that applicants must follow.

The Accrediting Commission for Schools oversees all schools below the college level. This includes public and private elementary, junior and high schools, as well as adult schools. Religious schools are also eligible to apply. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges is the WASC arm that oversees two-year college programs. It works with both private and public institutions that are seeking accreditation. The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities sets standards and reviews accreditation applicants from private and public senior colleges and universities within the WASC jurisdiction.

WASC's three arms each have their own Web sites that can help interested schools with the application process. Programs that have attained WASC accreditation can also be found on the various sub-agency Web sites.

Online Colleges Accredited by WASC

Campus-Based Colleges Accredited by WASC

For more information and a complete list of schools accredited by WASC, visit http://www.wascsenior.org/wasc/.