Linfield University is a member institution with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Linfield is currently accredited and has been continuously accredited by NWCCU since 1928. NWCCU’s most recent action was to reaffirm accreditation in 2024.   NWCCU is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

In addition, some of the university’s individual programs have earned specialized accreditation. The Linfield University School of Nursing is approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master's degree program in nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (https://www.aacnnursing.org/ccne-accreditation). The music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society. As a participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), Linfield has been approved to offer distance education programs to students in other SARA member states. 

The education program is approved for training of elementary and secondary teachers by the State of Oregon’s Teachers Standards and Practices Commission. The Linfield education program is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP)*, a national accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Linfield is working toward accreditation of its educator preparation programs under the AAQEP standards with an anticipated quality assurance review in fall 2027. The education department also operates the Linfield Pre-Kindergarten program accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Linfield was historically affiliated with American Baptist Churches U.S.A. Linfield’s bylaws require some American Baptist representation on the board of trustees, but the university has no religious or doctrinal requirements for students or employees.

ADDRESSES OF ACCREDITING AND APPROVING BODIES

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
8060 165th Avenue NE
Redmond, WA 98052
(425) 558-4224
https://nwccu.org/

Oregon State Board of Nursing

17938 SW Upper Boones Ferry Road
Portland, OR 97224
(971) 673-0685
https://www.oregon.gov/OSBN/Pages/index.aspx

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

655 K Street NW Suite 750
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 887-6791
https://www.aacnnursing.org/ccne-accreditation

Teachers Standards and Practices Commission

250 Division Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 378-3586
https://www.oregon.gov/tspc

National Association for the Education of Young Children

1313 L Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
(800) 424-2460
https://www.naeyc.org/

National Association of Schools of Music

11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 437-0700
https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/

American Chemical Society Approved Program

1155 Sixteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
(800) 333-9511
https://www.acs.org/

National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)

3005 Center Green Drive
Suite 130
Boulder, Colorado 80301
(720) 680-1600
https://www.nc-sara.org/sara-students

*Linfield's education department no longer maintains its membership or accreditation with CAEP; this information was removed in Oct. 2025 and replaced with the AAQEP information.