Accreditation

Southwestern College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). 

Southwestern College has maintained its accredited status since it opened in 1961.

The accreditation process assists colleges in improving institutional effectiveness to ensure colleges offer high quality educational programs and services. During the 2022-2030 Accreditation Cycle, Southwestern College continues its focus on providing the community with high quality educational programs and services. Areas of particular focus include:

• Supporting Student Learning Outcome (SLO) assessment and the use of SLO results to make improvements
• Bolstering Distance Education (DE) offerings and services
• Maintaining an environment that promotes inclusivity, civility, and diversity

View the Statement of Reaffirmation issued by ACCJC on June 15, 2023.

Third-Party Complaints

Members of the Southwestern College community, including students, may make a formal complaint to the ACCJC regarding the College on issues related to accreditation standards. The Commission maintains the ACCJC Complaints Process website with web forms for submitting complaints against a member institution, like Southwestern College, or a complaint against the Commission itself. While students and the community are free to use this option to register a complaint, we encourage students to use existing complaint processes found on the Office of Student Services website, which includes an online Incident Report Form.