The WASC Initial Accreditation Process involves three steps:
- Submission of the Letter of Intent
- The Capacity and Preparatory Review (CPR), which focuses on the institution's organizational capacity for educational effectiveness (e.g. resources, structures, policies, processes, and practices).
- The Educational Effectiveness Review (EER), which focuses on student and organizational learning and indicators and evidence of educational effectiveness in relation to institutional mission, goals, and related outcomes.
The CPR and EER phases involve development of an extensive, institutional self-study, followed by a site visit. The resulting visiting team report is forwarded to the Commision for subsequent action together with the institution's self-study and related materials. The materials associated with UC Merced's review for Intial Accreditation are available through the links provided immediately above or the through the side-bar.
WASC's Expectations for Two Reviews: Clarifying the Focus document explains the relationship of the CPR and EER. WASC's Educational Effectiveness Framework defines essential institutional characteristics examined through the accreditation process and related levels of effectiveness.
UC Merced's EER site visit took place in March 8-10, 2011. The Commission acted to grant Initial Accreditation for a period of seven years, the maximum period possible, at its June 2011 meeting. The Commission's Action Letter articulates its findings and related recommendations.
An Interim Report , describing UC Merced’s progress since the EER, was submitted March 1, 2014. On July 17, 2014, a panel of the WSCUC Interim Report Committee received our Interim Report with no follow-up required. The panel's findings are summarized in the resulting action letter .
Last Updated January 3, 2015
