Riverland Community College recently became one of only three colleges in the country to earn accreditation for its concurrent enrollment program this year. The National Association of Concurrent Enrollment Programs (NACEP) is the predominate accrediting body for dual enrollment college classes taught in the high schools. The Riverland College NOW Program is fully accredited. 

NACEP’s standards serve as the model criteria for ensuring parity in faculty, course content, student outcomes and support. Receiving NACEP accreditation means an institution has met the nation’s most rigorous standard in concurrent enrollment program development, management, and evaluation across multiple, multifaceted program areas.

“We are delighted to welcome Riverland to the family of NACEP accredited programs and celebrate their commitment to students and quality and all the work that has gotten them to this important milestone,” said NACEP Executive Director Amy Williams.

To earn accreditation from NACEP, concurrent enrollment programs conduct a self-study, document how their programs adhere to NACEP’s sixteen standards, and undergo a rigorous peer-review process conducted by a team of representatives from NACEP?accredited programs as well as the NACEP.

Riverland Community College joins 118 other colleges in 24 states that have earned this distinction. All three programs accredited this year, despite the disruption of the pandemic, successfully demonstrated their practices, policies and procedures met NACEP’s 16 accreditation standards in the six areas of curriculum, faculty, students, assessment, partnership, and program evaluation.

NACEP’s seven-year accreditation ensures that the 28 high schools partnering with the Riverland College NOW Program will continue to receive additional funding authorized by the Minnesota State Legislature for high-quality accreditation programs.