Accreditations
Overview
USIU-Africa is dually accredited by two accrediting commissions: WASC Senior Colleges and Universities Commission (WSCUC) since 1978, and by the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) now Commission for University Education (CUE) in Kenya in 1999. This means that our systems and quality are inspected and guaranteed by both bodies.
Accreditation is a formal recognition by an accrediting body that an institution is competent to carry out specific tasks. The purpose of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher learning meets acceptable levels of quality. Accreditation aids institutions in developing and sustaining effective educational programs and assures the educational community, the general public, and other organizations that an accredited institution has met high standards of quality and effectiveness.
WSCUC
WSCUC is an acronym which stands for WASC Senior College and University Commission. It is one of six regional associations that accredits colleges, and universities in the United States. It is recognized by the Department of Education of the U.S. federal government, and is in fact one of the most prestigious commissions in the North American continent.
WSCUC accredits all the universities and colleges in the Western side of United States, including Stanford University, the nine-campus University of California system and the 23-campus California State University system, making up a total of 210 institutions. USIU-Africa is the oldest among the nine universities outside United States which are accredited by WSCUC, and it is the only one in Africa.
WSCUC accreditation confirms that an institution possesses the resources, policies, and practices to achieve its educational goals and that the university has provided evidence of the quality of its educational programs. Degree certificates from WSCUC accredited institutions open many doors thus providing great advantages to USIU-Africa graduates.
More details on USIU-Africa accreditation by WSCUC can be found here.
CUE
USIU-Africa is also accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE) in Kenya since 1999. CUE's mission is to regulate and assure quality university education by setting standards and monitoring compliance to achieve global competitiveness, and is mandated to promote the objectives of university education, by regulating and accrediting universities and programmes, among other functions.
Reaffirmation to Accreditation
Every six, eight, or ten years, institutions accredited by WSCUC are reviewed to reaffirm their accreditation status. The two- to three-year process of reaffirmation of accreditation usually involves the completion of an institutional self-study and institutional report, an off-site review by WSCUC, and an on-site visit from the WSCUC team.
The process of reaffirmation of accreditation begin with the formation of a self-study team which gathers data and fill in a compliance sheet. The taskforce then prepars and submits an institutional self-study report, before hosting an off-site review.Specifically, the visiting team follows up on outstanding issues and verify or revise its preliminary findings concerning both compliance and improvement with WSCUC standards and the status of systems that ensure student success.
Our Strength
- Identity: Significance as a secular, not-for-profit, dually accredited institution in Kenya, East Africa, and the African region; avails American education at an affordable cost locally; celebrated student diversity; a distinctive culture that has led to increased levels of student engagement and achievements.
- Resources: The currency and adequacy of teaching/learning resources. The strong information technology infrastructure and the automation of all university processes ensure that students graduating from USIU-Africa are prepared for the ever-changing technological work environment.
- Student Support: USIU-Africa’s systems for ensuring educational effectiveness to support student success are unparalleled in the region. The university has systems that monitor student success and provide the appropriate support.
- Commitment to Quality and Improvement of Student Learning: USIU-Africa has done well in the assessment and improvement of student learning, and especially because both assessment and review are carried out by faculty. The institutionalization of annual program assessment and cyclic program review ensures constant monitoring of the meaning, quality and integrity of the degree programs on offer, and the alignment of the content and pedagogy to the competencies associated with these degrees.
- Strategic Directions for Sustainability: USIU-Africa’s put in place strategies to ensure growth and sustainability. The strategic planning has taken cognizance of local and international trends in higher education, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and Kenya’s Vision 2030.
The advantages of dual accreditation are as follows:
- It ensures that the best practices (required by the two agencies) which are more stringent and meticulous are applied to determine quality and standard. It is definite that an institution with a dual accreditation will meet higher standards of quality and effectiveness in its programs and hence the quality of its education is superior. The degree obtained is recognized in the regions covered by the accreditation bodies in question, giving it a global perspective.
- At some point in their education, some students may wish to transfer to a new university. Most often, these students wish to transfer the course credits they have already accumulated to the new university so that they will not have to repeat similar courses. Dual accreditation is an important factor when a university is deciding whether to accept transfer credit from a student's previous University. Most universities will not accept transferred course credits from an institution that has not earned appropriate accreditation status from accreditation agencies. Dual accreditation makes course credits more credible.
