Accreditation

About Our Accreditation

Accreditation is a voluntary process of external review that evaluates programs, colleges, and universities to ensure that they provide high-quality education and services and continuously seek to improve. This process provides assurance to the public that Western Nebraska Community College meets, and will continue to meet, clearly communicated criteria and regulations. Accreditation also ensures that faculty and students are eligible for federal grants and other funding.

Western Nebraska Community College is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a regional accrediting organization. WNCC receives reaffirmation of accreditation on a 10-year cycle, and most recently received notice of reaffirmation in 2010. WNCC will next host a comprehensive evaluation and site visit in April 2020.

The Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
www.hlcommission.org
800.621.7440
inquiry@hlcommission.org

Open Pathway

To maintain accreditation, WNCC participates in the Open Pathway. This pathway is available to institutions that have been accredited for more than 10 years and are in good standing. It requires that the institution meet five criteria through an assurance review and must complete a Quality Initiative with the HLC, which affords WNCC the opportunity to pursue continuous improvement in a focused area of need and aspiration. In addition, WNCC must demonstrate compliance with mandated federal guidelines.  

Program Accreditation

In addition to institutional accreditation, several programs at WNCC are separately accredited by state or professional agencies. The table below lists the accreditation status of these programs. Please contact the program’s office for more details.

Program	Accrediting/Approving Agency	Current Status	Program Location
Associate Degree Nursing (ADN)	Nebraska State Board of Nursing	Continual	Scottsbluff Sidney  Alliance
Aviation	Federal Aviation Administration – Maintenance Schools (enter NE for state)	Approved (2004)	Sidney
EMT/EMR	Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services	Approved	Scottsbluff
Health Information Management	Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)	Accredited (2003)	Online
Medical Laboratory Technician	National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS)	Accredited (2020)	Scottsbluff
Phlebotomy	National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS)	Accredited (2013)	Scottsbluff
Practical Nursing Program	Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing	Accredited (1974)	Scottsbluff Sidney Alliance
Surgical Technology	Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs	Accredited (2017)	Scottsbluff

Course Specific or Facility Certifications

Program	Accrediting/Approving Agency	Current Status	Program Location
Nurse Aid (Basic Nursing Assistant BNA)	Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services	Approved	Multiple sites in western Nebraska
Medication Aide	Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services No web site available; please contact (402) 471-3121 for questions	Approved	Multiple sites in western Nebraska
Welding (Testing Facility)	American Welding Society	Accredited (2014)	Scottsbluff

NC-SARA

WNCC is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). SARA is an agreement among members states, districts, and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offerings of postsecondary distance education. SARA’s policies help protect students as they engage in distance education across state lines. As of April 2020, 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are members of SARA. Over 2,100 colleges and universities participate in SARA. For more information, go to
https://nc-sara.org/.

WNCC Accreditation Contact

Patrick Fortney
Assessment & Institutional Research Executive Director
308.635.6339
fortneyp@wncc.edu