NECHE Accreditation 2026

The Federal law mandates that to be eligible for federal funds, including student financial aid, all institutions of higher education must receive ongoing accreditation by a recognized regional body. Additional benefits to being accredited include:

• credits from accredited institutions are transferable to other institutions
• accreditation is required to be eligible for various grants, and
• for programs with specialized accreditations, their respective institutions must be accredited as a whole.

Rhode Island School of Design falls under the jurisdiction of the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Every 10 years, institutions must conduct a substantial self-study, in which it must rigorously and honestly examine all areas of its operations to show how it meets the NECHE standards. Institutions submit a comprehensive evaluation report with extensive supporting documentation ahead of an on-campus visit by a trained team of peers (including faculty and staff) from similar institutions. RISD’s last site visit was April 2016. Between comprehensive evaluations, institutions complete interim reports, usually in the fifth year of the 10-year review cycle; NECHE’s most recent interim report was submitted in 2021.

NECHE has established standards “to ensure quality, innovation, and student success across the ever-evolving landscape of higher education.” The nine standards are as follows:

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

Each of the standards has multiple sections and/or substandards. See NECHE’s standards for accreditation for details.

NECHE is a voluntary, nonprofit, non-governmental organization that is responsible for more than 200 accredited institutions located primarily in the six New England states but also across the US and internationally. The NECHE membership reflects the diversity of higher education, accrediting both public and private institutions, open access and graduate-only institutions, liberal arts colleges and research universities. NECHE examines institutions as a whole, rather than individual programs within institutions. While several programs have specialized accreditation (Architecture—National Architecture Accrediting Board, Landscape Architecture—Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, and the Master of Arts in Teaching—RI Department of Education), RISD as a whole is accredited by NECHE.

Institutions that are accredited by NECHE must be able to demonstrate the ability to comply with its standards for accreditation. They must also comply with all policies, procedures and guidelines. Through accreditation, NECHE mandates that institutions meet rigorous standards. 

If you have any questions about NECHE and RISD’s upcoming accreditation, please email Accred26@risd.edu.