What is WASC Accreditation
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is the regional higher education association that, through its Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, is responsible for the accreditation of California State University, Sacramento. The purpose of accreditation in higher education is to define and evaluate the quality of an institution’s programs and affirm the continued centrality of educational effectiveness as a core value and a core commitment of that institution’s educational enterprise. To guide its work, the Commission applies four standards of accreditation and well defined Criteria for Review (CFR) to support the institutional review process. Each institution is expected to demonstrate, in a holistic way, its core commitments to institutional capacity and educational effectiveness through a rigorous self study supported by evidence. The accrediting process therefore provides significant assurance to the public and the region we serve that Sacramento State is performing in demonstrably verifiable ways to “warrant continued public trust and support” (WASC Handbook of Accreditation, 2001, p.4).
On this site we provide two links for more information about WASC and the accreditation process.
The first link to our Capacity and Preparatory Report provides information about our institutional approach to the current WASC cycle. The report was submitted to WASC in December 2006 and accepted by WASC in July 2007.
The second link connects directly to sections III and IV of the WASC Handbook of Accreditation for specific language detailing the institutional review process and guidelines for Commission decisions.
