NECHE Accreditation

The New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.) assessed the University through the reaccreditation process in 2013. Suffolk University was reaccredited. The next comprehensive site visit will occur in 2023.

NECHE, the regional accreditation agency for colleges and universities in New England, reviews accreditation status every ten years. In addition to a comprehensive site visit (described below), a major component of the reaccreditation process is a comprehensive self-study report, which requires the University to undertake a self-study (i) to measure institutional quality and effectiveness and (ii) to evaluate itself according to NECHE standards. Suffolk University last undertook a comprehensive self-study from 2011-2013 in connection with its reaccreditation by NECHE in 2013.

As it has in past accreditations, the University established a Steering Committee for the process. The Steering Committee established eight subcommittees to address the nine NECHE standards of quality and effectiveness. The nine standards address the following institutional activities:

  1. Mission and Purposes
  2. Planning and Evaluation
  3. Organization and Governance
  4. The Academic Program
  5. Students
  6. Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
  7. Institutional Resources
  8. Educational Effectiveness
  9. Integrity, Transparency, and Public Disclosure

The Steering Committee and vice presidents recommended faculty, staff, and administrators to serve on each of the subcommittees. The Steering Committee, the chairpersons, and all subcommittee members first convened on April 25, 2022 for an initial meeting to discuss the role of the subcommittees and the resources available to support each subcommittee. 

In July 2021, Dr. Rachael Kipp was appointed NECHE Accreditation Liaison Officer, with the task of leading the University in its accreditation efforts. The NECHE subcommittees were formed during the spring semester of 2022. To learn more about the process, email Dr. Kipp.

The comprehensive, institution-wide self-study will form the basis of the site visit, October 29 - November 1, 2023, during which time a visiting team of peer evaluators from other colleges and universities similar to ours, will come to campus and further assess Suffolk University. After the site visit, the visiting team submit a written report to NECHE and to the University regarding their assessment. The University will have an opportunity to respond to the visiting team’s written report. Ultimately, NECHE considers the self-study, the visiting team report, and the University’s response in its decision regarding the University’s accreditation status.

You are invited to read the NECHE Accreditation Letter [PDF] from the last comprehensive visit in 2013 and the NECHE Standards for Accreditation.