University Accreditation 2025

Based largely on existing groups, Institutional Review Process committees formed in the Fall of 2022 representing leadership, faculty, staff, and students throughout the entire institution.  After receiving guidance on the process, committees completed a Self-Study of WSCUC Standards that are being used to write the Institutional Report starting in Fall, 2023.

The Institutional Report and Institutional Exhibits will be posted here when submitted to WSCUC in August of 2024.

Institutional Report: Introduction, Institutional Essays, Reflection

Appendix I: Compliance with WSCUC Standards Worksheet: Web links demonstrating evidence of each CFR

Appendix II: Federal Requirements Forms: Institutional compliance with federal regulations

Appendix III: Institutional Exhibits: Additional documents that support the Institutional Report 

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was formed in 1962 to promote the development of higher education in the Western region when it took over and further formalized the work of its predecessor organization, the Western College Association. WASC was previously incorporated as a single 510c3 entity that encompassed the three commissions (WASC Senior College and University Commission, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges).

In 2012-2013 the three Commissions re-incorporated as separate entities that share the same “WASC” acronym but are otherwise separate organizations with independent scopes and governance structures. The entity within WASC that reaffirms Cal State East Bay's accreditation is WSCUC – WASC Senior College and University Commission. Within the University community, the acronyms WSCUC and WASC are often used interchangeably.

Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) are those learning outcomes that are expected of every graduate of the institution, both undergraduate and graduate and are closely aligned with General Education requirements.

This WSCUC phrase refers to the goals, coherence, sequencing, alignment, resourcing, and overall quality of the educational experience leading to conferral of an institution’s degree.

Standards of Accreditation are the principles used as a basis for judgment in accreditation reviews. WSCUC has four Standards (updated in 2022) which are used as a basis for evaluation in accreditation reviews:
     

• Standard 1: Defining Institutional Mission and Acting with Integrity
• Standard 2: Achieving Educational Objectives and Student Success
• Standard 3: Assuring Resources and Organizational Structures
• Standard 4: Creating an Institution Committed to Quality Assurance and Improvement

Criteria for Review (CFR) are more specific than the four Standards of Accreditation and are intended to define and explain the Standards. Substantial compliance with both the Standards and Criteria for Review is required for reaffirmation and guides the institution in assessing institutional performance, identifying areas needing improvement, and making improvements on an ongoing basis. WSCUC evaluation results from an institutional site visit form the basis for the WSCUC’s Commission decision about an institution’s accreditation status.

The New WSCUC Standards and Criteria finalized in November, 2022 are available here.

After the site visit in spring of 2025, the WSCUC team members will prepare and send the University their report on the visit and our Institutional Report. President Sandeen will have the opportunity to submit a response. WSCUC will then send an action letter to President Sandeen and the University's Accreditation Liaison Officer. The action letter will then be distributed to the campus community along with next steps the university community will take to implement these action items. WSCUC will also publish the action letter and team report on its website.

You are invited to provide comments you would like to share about Cal State East Bay's Reaffirmation 2025 process here. Your information is collected anonymously (other than position) and will not be shared unless you indicate it can be shared. Your comments will be reviewed by Cal State East Bay’s WSCUC Accreditation Liaison Officer, and passed along to the relevant business unit(s).

As the spring 2025 site visit approaches, WSCUC will create a separate confidential email account for their visit to Cal State East Bay. This email address will be shared with the entire campus community, and will give those who cannot or do not wish to attend one of the open meetings an opportunity to communicate with the WSCUC visiting team. The assistant chair of the visiting team will read all emails carefully, but will not respond to them, and will not include any comments in the team report unless it has an opportunity to investigate them and the institution has an opportunity during the visit to respond.