ACCJC and NECHE Launch New Pilot for Short-Term Credentials and Non-Credit Education

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is pleased to announce a new pilot partnership with the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) focused on the recognition of high-quality short-term credentials and non-credit education.

Across higher education, the landscape of learning is changing rapidly. Short-term credentials, workforce-focused programs, non-credit education, and alternative providers are playing an increasingly important role in helping students develop skills, advance in their careers, and respond to changing workforce needs. At the same time, institutions, policymakers, employers, and students are asking important questions about quality, outcomes, transparency, and educational value.

ACCJC and NECHE believe accreditation has an important role to play in helping answer those questions.

Over the past two years, NECHE has developed, piloted, and refined a Recognition of Non-Credit Providers framework built around 17 markers of quality addressing educational quality, student outcomes, operational integrity, learner support, transparency, and workforce relevance. Through our new partnership, ACCJC and NECHE will begin piloting a collaborative approach that draws upon this existing framework and the peer-review expertise of both commissions.

Importantly, ACCJC member institutions participating in the project will have the opportunity to seek recognition of their short-term credential and non-credit educational units from both ACCJC and NECHE. This creates a new pathway for institutions to demonstrate the quality, integrity, outcomes, and workforce relevance of educational offerings that may sit outside traditional degree programs, while benefiting from a shared review process involving two nationally recognized institutional accreditors.

Participating institutions and providers will complete a self-evaluation, undergo peer review, and be evaluated against clear expectations for quality and outcomes. Following review, recognition decisions will be considered through the respective governance processes of ACCJC and NECHE.

For ACCJC, this work is part of a broader commitment to ensuring that accreditation continues to evolve alongside the institutions and students we serve. We believe quality assurance can—and should—support innovation while preserving meaningful expectations for student learning, institutional integrity, transparency, and value.

Join Us in Riverside

We will introduce the partnership and discuss the pilot in greater detail during a special in-person pre-conference session at the 2026 ACCJC Partners in Excellence Conference in Riverside.

Beyond the Degree: ACCJC and NECHE Partner on Quality Assurance for Short-Term Credentials

The session will feature:

Mac Powell, President, ACCJC

Laura Gambino, Vice President, NECHE

Together, we will discuss why the two commissions are undertaking this work, how NECHE's recognition model operates, how ACCJC institutions can participate in the pilot, and what dual recognition from ACCJC and NECHE could mean for institutions seeking to distinguish the quality of their short-term and workforce-focused offerings.

We also want to hear from you. This pilot is intended not simply to introduce a new process, but to begin a broader conversation with our members about how accreditation can remain responsive to new models of education while continuing to protect students and uphold quality.

We hope you will join us in Riverside for this important conversation. The regular registration fee deadline is October 25. All of the information you need to register and attend the conference is available at: https://accjc-conference.org/.

More information about participation in the pilot and the pre-conference session will be shared shortly.