{"id":29,"date":"2026-09-17T15:59:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-wsu.pantheonsite.io\/about\/?page_id=29"},"modified":"2026-09-17T15:59:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:59:42","slug":"accreditation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/accreditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Accreditation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"hero\">\n    <div class=\"hero__wrap\">\n        <div class=\"hero__media\">\n                        <picture>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/WSU-Phelps-Hall-2022-02-22_130205.jpg\" alt=\"placeholder\">\n            <\/picture>\n                     \n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"hero__container\">\n                        <div class=\"hero__content\">\n                <div class=\"hero__text\">\n                                        <h1 class=\"hero__title\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">Accreditation<\/h1>                    <div class=\"hero__description\" data-animation=\"fade-in-up\" data-animate=\"true\">\n                        <p>Winona State is an accredited higher education institution with more than 30 academic programs that also hold specialized accreditation, certification, or recognition.<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                    \n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n    \n<div id=\"\" class=\"panel panel--relative panel--white\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container\">                <div class=\"panel__main\">\n            \n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Institution Accreditations &amp; Recognitions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- Start of HLC Accreditation Mark Digital Badge code -->\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:3rem;width:100%;max-width:150px;max-height:166px\">\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom: 110.67%;height: auto;overflow: hidden\">\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- End of HLC Accreditation Mark Digital Badge code -->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First accredited in 1913, Winona State University has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hlcommission.org\/institution\/1415\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.hlcommission.org\/component\/directory\/?Itemid=&amp;Action=ShowBasic&amp;instid=1415\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recognized by the Higher Learning Commission<\/a> (HLC) for our academic quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The WSU Children&#8217;s Center is additionally accredited by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naeyc.org\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.naeyc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winona State holds awards for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tree Campus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Carnegie Engaged Campus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Best in the Midwest<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Green Campus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Military Friendly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n    \n<div id=\"\" class=\"panel panel--relative panel--white\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container\">                <div class=\"panel__main\">\n            \n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Academic Program Accreditations &amp; Recognitions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"feature-grid feature-grid--light\">\n                <div class=\"feature-block feature-block--33 wsu-block\">            <div class=\"feature-block__content\">\n                <div class=\"feature-block__title\">College of Business <\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block__description\"><p>Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block feature-block--33 wsu-block\">            <div class=\"feature-block__content\">\n                <div class=\"feature-block__title\">College of Education<\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block__description\"><p>Accredited by the Council for<br \/>\nAccreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)<\/p>\n<p>Accredited by the Minnesota Board of School Administrators (BOSA)<\/p>\n<p>Accredited by Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block feature-block--33 wsu-block\">            <div class=\"feature-block__content\">\n                <div class=\"feature-block__title\">College of Liberal Arts<\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block__description\"><p>Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) <\/p>\n<p>Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)<\/p>\n<p>Approved by the American Bar Association<\/p>\n<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"feature-grid feature-grid--light\">\n                <div class=\"feature-block feature-block--50 wsu-block\">            <div class=\"feature-block__content\">\n                <div class=\"feature-block__title\">College of Nursing &amp; Health Sciences<\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block__description\"><p>Accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE)<\/p>\n<p>Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)<\/p>\n<p>Accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing<\/p>\n<p>Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)<\/p>\n<p>Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)<\/p>\n<p>Approved by Minnesota Board of Nursing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block feature-block--50 wsu-block\">            <div class=\"feature-block__content\">\n                <div class=\"feature-block__title\">College of Science &amp; Engineering<\/div>\n                <div class=\"feature-block__description\"><p>Accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) <\/p>\n<p>Accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n    \n<div id=\"\" class=\"panel panel--relative panel--white\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container\">                <div class=\"panel__main\">\n            \n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Memberships<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"footable_parent_1823\"\n         class=\" footable_parent ninja_table_wrapper loading_ninja_table wp_table_data_press_parent semantic_ui \">\n                <table data-ninja_table_instance=\"ninja_table_instance_0\" data-footable_id=\"1823\" data-filter-delay=\"1000\" aria-label=\"WSU Memberships\"            id=\"footable_1823\"\n           data-unique_identifier=\"ninja_table_unique_id_2551520179_1823\"\n           class=\" foo-table ninja_footable foo_table_1823 ninja_table_unique_id_2551520179_1823 ui table ninja_table_pro nt_type_legacy_table selectable striped vertical_centered footable-paging-right\">\n                <colgroup>\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_0 \">\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_1 \">\n                    <\/colgroup>\n        <thead>\n<tr class=\"footable-header\">\n                                        <th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_0 ninja_clmn_nm_university_area \">University Area<\/th><th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_1 ninja_clmn_nm_organization \">Organization<\/th><\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n\n        <tr data-row_id=\"1\" class=\"ninja_table_row_0 nt_row_id_1\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>American Association of Colleges &amp; Universities (AAC&amp;U)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"2\" class=\"ninja_table_row_1 nt_row_id_2\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>American Association of State Colleges &amp; Universities (AASCU)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"3\" class=\"ninja_table_row_2 nt_row_id_3\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>American Association of University Women (AAUW)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"4\" class=\"ninja_table_row_3 nt_row_id_4\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>Higher Learning Commission (HLC)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"5\" class=\"ninja_table_row_4 nt_row_id_5\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>Minnesota Campus Compact (MnCC)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"6\" class=\"ninja_table_row_5 nt_row_id_6\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>Rochester Chamber of Commerce (RCC)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"7\" class=\"ninja_table_row_6 nt_row_id_7\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"8\" class=\"ninja_table_row_7 nt_row_id_8\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"9\" class=\"ninja_table_row_8 nt_row_id_9\">\n            <td>President's Office<\/td><td>Winona Chamber of Commerce (WCC)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"10\" class=\"ninja_table_row_9 nt_row_id_10\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"11\" class=\"ninja_table_row_10 nt_row_id_11\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"12\" class=\"ninja_table_row_11 nt_row_id_12\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"13\" class=\"ninja_table_row_12 nt_row_id_13\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"14\" class=\"ninja_table_row_13 nt_row_id_14\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"15\" class=\"ninja_table_row_14 nt_row_id_15\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"16\" class=\"ninja_table_row_15 nt_row_id_16\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"17\" class=\"ninja_table_row_16 nt_row_id_17\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"18\" class=\"ninja_table_row_17 nt_row_id_18\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"19\" class=\"ninja_table_row_18 nt_row_id_19\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"20\" class=\"ninja_table_row_19 nt_row_id_20\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Council for Social Work Education (CSWE)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"21\" class=\"ninja_table_row_20 nt_row_id_21\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"22\" class=\"ninja_table_row_21 nt_row_id_22\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"23\" class=\"ninja_table_row_22 nt_row_id_23\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"24\" class=\"ninja_table_row_23 nt_row_id_24\">\n            <td>Academic Affairs<\/td><td>University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"25\" class=\"ninja_table_row_24 nt_row_id_25\">\n            <td>Finance &amp; Administration<\/td><td>American College &amp; University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"26\" class=\"ninja_table_row_25 nt_row_id_26\">\n            <td>Finance &amp; Administration<\/td><td>Society of College and University Planning (SCUP)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"27\" class=\"ninja_table_row_26 nt_row_id_27\">\n            <td>Student Life &amp; Development <\/td><td>American Association of Collegiate Registrars &amp; Admissions Officers (AACRAO)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"28\" class=\"ninja_table_row_27 nt_row_id_28\">\n            <td>Student Life &amp; Development<\/td><td>Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n            <tr data-row_id=\"29\" class=\"ninja_table_row_28 nt_row_id_29\">\n            <td>University Advancement<\/td><td>Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)<\/td>        <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody><!--ninja_tobody_rendering_done-->\n    <\/table>\n    \n    \n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n    \n<div id=\"\" class=\"panel panel--relative panel--white\">\n    <div class=\"panel__container\">                <div class=\"panel__main\">\n            \n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">State Authorization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is intended to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by postsecondary institutions based in another state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winona State is a member of <a href=\"https:\/\/nc-sara.org\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/nc-sara.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements<\/a> (NC-SARA), which means we share a reciprocity agreement with all states who are part of the NC-SARA group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find out if you live in a state that has joined this consortium, view the <a href=\"https:\/\/nc-sara.org\/directory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NC-SARA directory<\/a>. If you don\u2019t see your state listed as NC-SARA approved, fear not. More states are coming on board quickly, and soon we anticipate that most states will be participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winona State University has been approved by the State of Minnesota to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Student Complaints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winona State University is committed to addressing student complaints and grievances fairly and promptly. Students, including students participating in distance education under the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), should first seek resolution through Winona State&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/policies-student-conduct\/student-complaint-grievance-process\/\">Student Complaint &amp; Grievance Process<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a complaint covered by SARA is not resolved through Winona State&#8217;s institutional complaint process, the student may appeal the complaint through the applicable SARA State Portal Entity. Minnesota&#8217;s SARA State Portal Entity is the <a href=\"https:\/\/ohe.mn.gov\/student-resources\/other-resources\/file-complaint\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Minnesota Office of Higher Education<\/a> (OHE). Students may also consult the <a href=\"https:\/\/nc-sara.org\/sara-student-complaints-0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NC-SARA Student Complaints<\/a> for additional information about the SARA complaint process and State Portal Entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SARA complaint procedures apply to complaints arising under SARA consumer protection provisions. Complaints regarding grades or student conduct violations are not subject to the SARA complaint appeal process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professional Licensure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before enrolling in an online educational program that leads to professional licensure, a student should be assured that the program meets the requirements for the particular occupation in the state in which the student resides or intends to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help identify the requirements for each state and the District of Columbia, our NC-SARA organization has provided resources and contact information for the five most common programs leading to professional licensure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Counseling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nursing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Psychology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social Work<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teacher Education<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To access this contact information or to find out more about professional licensure and program accreditation, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/nc-sara.org\/resources\/professional-licensure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NC-SARA Professional Licensure site<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WSU is an accredited higher education institution with many academic programs that also hold specialized accreditation, certification, or recognition. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":320,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-full-width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administration"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12471,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions\/12471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winona.edu\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}