Since 1935, Boston College has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).  NECHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education and adheres to the standards of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.  As part of NECHE guidelines, member institutions undergo a peer review process every ten years which involves the preparation of a comprehensive self-study.  Boston College’s most recent full review for accreditation occurred in March 2017.

Inquiries regarding Boston College’s accreditation status, including requests for a paper copy of this information, should be directed to the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculties, Boston College, 270 Hammond Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617-552-3260); individuals may also contact the New England Commission of Higher Education, 301 Edgewater Place, Suite 210, Wakefield, MA 01880 (781-425-7785).  

In addition to NECHE, a variety of schools and programs at Boston College are affiliated with discipline-based accrediting agencies.  For distance education, Boston College is an approved member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and Boston College’s public safety and police department is an accredited program of the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.

Connell School of Nursing

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Carroll School of Management

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Boston College Law School

American Bar Association

Boston College School of Social Work

Council on Social Work Education

Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

The Association of Theological Schools

Lynch School of Education and Human Development — Teacher Education, Special Education, and Curriculum and Instruction programs

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

Lynch School of Education and Human Development — Doctoral Program in Counseling Psychology

American Psychological Association

The U.S. Department of Education posted new regulations, effective July 1, 2011, that: define a credit-hour; instruct colleges and universities to establish policies and procedures for assuring conformity to the new definition for purposes of determining eligibility for federal program funding; and, instruct the institutions’ accrediting agencies to “conduct an effective review and evaluation of the reliability and accuracy of the institution’s assignment of credit hours.”

The new regulations define a credit hour as “an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:

  • "One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
  • "At least an equivalent amount of work as required in this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours." [Section 600.2, effective October 29, 2010].

At its meeting on January 13, 2011, the Council of Deans of Boston College adopted a proposal that:

  • The Educational Policy Committee (EPC) in each School will clarify the credit-hour values that the School will apply to each form of direct instruction or its equivalent in its graduate and undergraduate academic programs, including courses, laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, thesis supervision, etc.;
  • The Educational Policy Committee in each School will review all existing and all future proposed credit-granting activity for conformity to these credit-hour values, and will maintain record of its policies and review proceedings appropriate for reporting to the University’s accrediting agency.

The reports of the School's EPC may be found here:

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