STATEMENT OF ACCREDITATION STATUS

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
2121 I Street, N. W.
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: (202) 994-4949; Fax: (202) 994-0654
www.gwu.edu


Chief Executive Officer:			Dr. Steven Knapp, President
INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION
		Enrollment (Headcount):	10558 Undergraduate; 14503 Graduate
		Control:	Private (Non-Profit)
		Affiliation:	n/a
		Carnegie Classification:	Research - High Research Activity
		Degrees Offered:	Certificate/Diploma, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctor's - Professional Practice, Doctor's - Research/Scholarship;
		Distance Education Programs:	Yes
		Accreditors Approved by U.S. Secretary of Education: American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar ; American Psychological Association, Committee on Accreditation ; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology ; Council on Education for Public Health ; Liaison Committee on Medical Education ; National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation, ; National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
		Other Accreditors: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business;Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology;Accrediting Commission for Education in Health Services Administration;Association of American Law Schools;Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs;Computer Science Accreditation Commission, Computing Sciences Accreditation Board;Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs;Council on Rehabilitation Education;Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research;National Accrediting Agency for the Clinical Laboratory Sciences;National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
	Instructional Locations
		Branch Campuses: None
		Additional Locations: Advanced Technology Center, Virginia Beach, VA; Alexandria Graduate Education Center, Alexandria, VA; American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC; Booz Allen Hamilton Dulles Campus, Herndon, VA; Capital One, Glen Allen, VA; Children's Guild, Baltimore, MD; College of Jewish Studies, Rockville, MD; Fort Sam Houston AHS, San Antonio, TX; Graduate Education Center - Arlington, Arlington, VA; Hall of the States, Washington, DC; Hampton Roads Center, Newport News, VA; Hanover High School, Mechanicsville, VA; Hong Kong Institute of Management, N/A, Hong Kong; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Fairfax, VA; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Santa Maria, CA; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Las Cruces, NM; Lockheed Martin Corporation, San Jose, CA; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Littleton, CO; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Colorado Springs, CO; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Papillon, NE; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Reston, VA; Lockheed Martin Corporation, San Diego, CA; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Goodyear, AZ; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Honolulu, HI; Marshall Road Elementary School, Vienna, VA; McLean Hilton, McLean, VA; Metro Transit Police Headquarters, Washington, DC; NASA Langley, Hampton, VA; National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Reston, VA; Naval Dental School, Bethesda, MD; Naval School of Health Science, San Diego, CA; Naval Surface Warfare Center, Cardcrock, MD; Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia, PA; Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, VA; Ridge School of Montgomery County, Rockville, MD; Rock Creek Academy, Washington, DC; SAIC, McLean, VA; SAIC Corporation, McLean, VA; Singapore Institute of Management, N/A, Singapore; Southern Maryland Higher Education Center, California, MD; The George Washington Mount Vernon, Washington, DC; The Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, DC; Virginia Campus, Ashburn, VA; Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC
		Other Instructional Sites: Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, Bethesda, MD; China Industrial & Commercial Rsch Institute, Taipei City, Taiwan; FCC Headquarters, Washington, DC; Foundations School, Rockville, MD; Julius West Middle School, Rockville, MD; Kingsbury School, Washington, DC; Lockheed Martin Corp., King of Prussia, PA; Lockheed Martin Corporation, Springfield, VA; Marshall High School, Falls Church, VA; Massey Building, Fairfax, VA; McKinley Tech High School, Washington, DC; Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD; Montgomery County Education Association, Rockville, MD; Mount Vernon High School, Alexandria, VA; National Arboretum, Washington, DC; Norwood School, Bethesda, MD; Orbital Sciences Corp, Dulles, VA; Orbital Sciences Corp, Chandler, AZ; Phillips School, Annandale, VA; SAIC, San Diego, CA; William Wirt Middle School, Riverdale, MD
ACCREDITATION INFORMATION
		Status: Member since 1922
		Last Reaffirmed: June 26, 2008

Most Recent Commission Action:

June 24, 2010: To accept the progress report. To remind the institution that the Commission previously requested that the Periodic Review Report due June 1, 2013 should provide documentation on progress in meeting Standards 2, 3, and 14.

Brief History Since Last Comprehensive Evaluation:

June 26, 2008: To reaffirm accreditation and to request a progress letter due by April 1, 2010, documenting (1) a target timeline and the resource allocation strategies implemented to accomplish the goals of the institution's strategic plan (Standards 2 and 3) and (2) further progress in the implementation of a comprehensive, organized, and sustained process for the assessment of student learning outcomes, including evidence that assessment results are used for improvement (Standard 14). Further documentation on progress in meeting these standards should also be provided in the Periodic Review Report due June 1, 2013.

Next Self-Study Evaluation: 2017 - 2018

Next Periodic Review Report: 2013

Date Printed: July 28, 2010

DEFINITIONS

Branch Campus - A location of an institution that is geographically apart and independent of the main campus of the institution. The location is independent if the location: offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential; has its own faculty and administrative or supervisory organization; and has its own budgetary and hiring authority.

Additional Location - A location, other than a branch campus, that is geographically apart from the main campus and at which the institution offers at least 50 percent of an educational program. ANYA ("Approved but Not Yet Active") indicates that the location is included within the scope of accreditation but has not yet begun to offer courses. This designation is removed after the Commission receives notification that courses have begun at this location.

Other Instructional Sites - A location, other than a branch campus or additional location, at which the institution offers one or more courses for credit.

Distance Education Programs - Yes or No indicates whether or not the institution has been approved to offer one or more degree or certificate/diploma programs for which students could meet 50% or more of their requirements by taking distance education courses.

EXPLANATION OF COMMISSION ACTIONS

An institution's accreditation continues unless it is explicitly suspended or removed. In addition to reviewing the institution's accreditation status at least every 5 years, actions are taken for substantive changes (such as a new degree or geographic site, or a change of ownership) or when other events occur that require review for continued compliance. Any type of report or visit required by the Commission is reviewed and voted on by the Commission after it is completed.

In increasing order of seriousness, a report by an institution to the Commission may be accepted, acknowledged, or rejected.

Levels of Actions:

Grant or Re-Affirm Accreditation without follow-up

Defer a decision on initial accreditation: The institution shows promise but the evaluation team has identified issues of concern and recommends that the institution be given a specified time period to address those concerns.

Postpone a decision on (reaffirmation of) accreditation: The Commission has determined that there is insufficient information to substantiate institutional compliance with one or more standards.

Continue accreditation: A delay of up to one year may be granted to ensure a current and accurate representation of the institution or in the event of circumstances beyond the institution’s control (natural disaster, U.S. State Department travel warnings, etc.)

Recommendations to be addressed in the next Periodic Review Report: Suggestions for improvement are given, but no follow-up is needed for compliance.

Supplemental Information Report: This is required when a decision is postponed and are intended only to allow the institution to provide further information, not to give the institution time to formulate plans or initiate remedial action.

Progress report: The Commission needs assurance that the institution is carrying out activities that were planned or were being implemented at the time of a report or on-site visit.

Monitoring report: There is a potential for the institution to become non-compliant with MSCHE standards; issues are more complex or more numerous; or issues require a substantive, detailed report. A visit may or may not be required.

Warning: The Commission acts to Warn an institution that its accreditation may be in jeopardy when the institution is not in compliance with one or more Commission standards and a follow-up report, called a monitoring report, is required to demonstrate that the institution has made appropriate improvements to bring itself into compliance. Warning indicates that the Commission believes that, although the institution is out of compliance, the institution has the capacity to make appropriate improvements within a reasonable period of time and the institution has the capacity to sustain itself in the long term.

Probation: The Commission places an institution on Probation when, in the Commission’s judgment, the institution is not in compliance with one or more Commission standards and that the non-compliance is sufficiently serious, extensive, or acute that it raises concern about one or more of the following:

the adequacy of the education provided by the institution;
the institution’s capacity to make appropriate improvements in a timely fashion; or
the institution’s capacity to sustain itself in the long term.

Probation is often, but need not always be, preceded by an action of Warning or Postponement. If the Commission had previously postponed a decision or placed the institution on Warning, the Commission may place the institution on Probation if it determines that the institution has failed to address satisfactorily the Commission’s concerns in the prior action of postponement or warning regarding compliance with Commission standards. This action is accompanied by a request for a monitoring report, and a special visit follows. Probation may, but need not always, precede an action of Show Cause.

Suspend accreditation: Accreditation has been Continued for one year and an appropriate evaluation is not possible. This is a procedural action that would result in Removal of Accreditation if accreditation cannot be reaffirmed within the period of suspension.

Show cause why the institution's accreditation should not be removed: The institution is required to present its case for accreditation by means of a substantive report and/or an on-site evaluation. A "Public Disclosure Statement" is issued by the Commission.

Remove accreditation. If the institution appeals this action, its accreditation remains in effect until the appeal is completed.

Other actions are described in the Commission policy, "Range of Commission Actions on Accreditation."