2028 Reaffirmation of Accreditation

In October 2025, the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor established a Steering Committee to oversee UC Merced's re-affirmation of accreditation by the WSCUC. The Steering Committee held its inaugural meeting on October 23, 2025, and met four additional times during the 2025-26 Academic Year.

The charge to the Steering Committee is available here. The Committee's membership is available here. Reaccreditation timeline follows. Please check back for more information about the Committee's activities. (Last updated June11, 2026)


WSCUC Reaffirmation of Accreditation Process and Timeline

This table outlines the major steps of Institutional Review Process for re-affirmation of accreditation. Hyperlinks within the table take you to brief descriptions of each stage further down the page as they become available. 
 
   

 UC Merced hosts Christopher Oberg, WSCUC Executive Vice President, to provide an overview of the Institutional Review Process

 October 23, 2025

 Campus completes a draft of Compliance with 2023 WSCUC Standards Worksheet

 May 25, 2026

 Steering Committee Chair, Heather Bortfeld, updates campus on re-affirmation progress

 AY 2026-27

 Campus reviews draft Institutional Report

 Spring 2027

 Campus submits Institutional Report to WSCUC 

 Summer 2027

 UC Merced Offsite Review conducted

 Fall 2027

 UC Merced Accreditation Visit conducted

 Spring 2028

 WSCUC Commission decision on reaffirmation of accreditation

 June 2028