Accreditation
The University of Redlands is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), one of seven regional accrediting commissions in the United States. Voluntary, non-governmental institutional accreditation, as practiced by WSCUC, is a hallmark of American education. Unlike many countries where educational standards are a governmental function, United States institutions are not required to seek accreditation. However, most eligible institutions, including those in our region, pursue accreditation due to its recognized benefits, such as enabling us to offer federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, federal loans, and work-study jobs.
The WSCUC accreditation process helps institutions develop and sustain effective educational programs while assuring the educational community, the public, and other organizations that an accredited institution meets high standards of quality and effectiveness. The commission emphasizes institutional structures, processes, and resources. Accreditation is a regular process through which we affirm, demonstrate, and ensure our core commitments to quality teaching and learning.
Reaffirmation and Special Visit Updates
2023 Reaffirmation
In June 2023, WSCUC reaffirmed accreditation for the University of Redlands through June 2029 and confirmed that we met the three core commitments required for accreditation. We encourage our community to review the visit team report and the reaffirmation action letter to engage in our ongoing improvement efforts.
The 2023 commission action letter commended the University of Redlands for engaged and positive students who value personal interactions and small class sizes, a strong sense of community spirit among faculty, staff, and alumni, an inclusive strategic planning process that reduced departmental silos, and significant cost savings from centralized services. The commission identified areas for improvement including developing a sustainable financial plan, implementing comprehensive strategic enrollment planning, enhancing assessment and program review processes, formalizing shared governance, strengthening diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts, addressing faculty and staff morale and workload pressures, and ensuring sufficient faculty staffing. The university is committed to addressing these through ongoing strategic initiatives, enhanced data reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
2025 Special Visit
Following the 2023 reaffirmation, the 2024 reaffirmation of Woodbury University, and the 2024 approval of Woodbury University as a subsidiary of the University of Redlands, WSCUC conducted a special visit in March 2025, to review both institutions. The visit focused on leadership, financial sustainability, strategic enrollment, morale, faculty sufficiency, funding for Woodbury University, academic programs, shared services, Woodbury's teach-out plan, student support, assessment, and communication.
The commission commended the university for:
- taking a proactive, mission-driven approach to the strategic merger with Woodbury University
- ensuring long-term sustainability
- progress in integrating key operations and processes
- strong commitment to academic assessment, fostering continuous improvement and student success
The commission identified the following areas for development:
- adopt a realistic, data-driven strategic enrollment plan to improve reserves
- ensure liquidity, and support financial sustainability
- identify additional operational efficiencies
- foster a shared culture grounded in mission alignment, inclusive communication, and mutual respect across both institutions
- provide clear, transparent, and timely communication with opportunities for dialogue and feedback
- develop a comprehensive strategy to assess and improve faculty morale and sufficiency
- ensure comprehensive, accessible student support services aligned with the diverse needs of students during the merger
Next Steps
The University of Redlands is committed to addressing these areas while building on our strengths. Leadership teams are refining enrollment strategies, enhancing communication, and prioritizing faculty and student support. Progress will be detailed in the interim report due March 1, 2026. Please review the commission action letter and special visit team report to learn more about the results of our joint special visit with Woodbury University.
We welcome input from our community to support our continuous improvement efforts. Please contact Heather Lambeth, WSCUC accreditation liaison officer with any questions or feedback.