Frequently Asked Questions
What is WASC?
WASC is the acronym for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, one of six non-governmental regional accrediting associations that were recognized in 1952 by the U. S. Department of Education. The division of WASC that accredits Cal Poly is the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.
WASC accredits institutions, not individual programs. Therefore, in addition to assessing the academic quality and educational effectiveness of Cal Poly, our reaccreditation emphasizes institutional structures, processes, and resources.
What are the benefits of institutional accreditation for students?
- Ability to receive federal funds for student financial assistance
- Transferability of academic credit to another college or university
- Recognition of diploma by licensing agencies and others
How has accreditation changed?
Accreditation was founded more than 100 years ago on the principle of peer review. The process is shifting from being focused almost entirely on whether or not an institution is in compliance with a set of prescriptive standards to one which recognizes that many institutions are fundamentally sound (and therefore unlikely to have serious compliance problems) but amenable, nevertheless, to continuous improvement in quality. Although accreditation today still gives attention to inputs (such as faculty resources, physical infrastructure, etc.), greater emphasis is now given to documented evidence regarding student learning.
