NMSU’s Office of Accreditation provides oversight and support for accreditation activities on the Las Cruces campus and across our NMSU-system two-year campuses. Specific functions include:

  • Serving as Las Cruces campus liaison to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This includes ensuring NMSU’s compliance with HLC requirements and facilitating HLC approval of program and institutional changes as required.
  • Assisting colleges and academic programs in their efforts to achieve and sustain accreditation by specialized accrediting agencies.

NMSU is regionally accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, Illinois 60604-1411
Phone: 800.621.7440 / 312.263.0456 | Fax: 312.263.7462 |  info@hlcommission.org

The HLC website is hlcommission.org.

You may review NMSU’s accreditation standing with the HLC by clicking on the Higher Learning Commission icon on this page or on the button below. Information for filing a complaint with the HLC is available on the HLC Complaint Process website.

NMSU HLC Statements of Accreditation Status

 

Detailed information about NMSU’s HLC and specialized professional accreditations is available on our Specialized Accreditation webpage. Click the links below to find information about how to file a complaint with the respective entity.

To request copies of NMSU’s accreditation or licensure documents, contact the Office of Accreditation at 575-646-5095, or email accrediation@nmsu.edu.

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What is Accreditation?

Accreditation is a process that evaluates the quality of an institution’s academic programs, operations, and support services and provides a road map for improvement. At NMSU many units, including colleges and programs, are accredited by specialized accreditation agencies. As a whole, NMSU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). For more information about the HLC, you can go to the HLC website at hlcommission.org or call 800.621.7440.

NMSU’s relationship with the HLC goes back a long time and as a result of the last successful review and subsequent reaffirmation of accreditation the Las Cruces campus was put on the Open Pathways option. Open Pathways has many benefits, including the independence to engage in a project geared toward campus needs and aspirations, referred to by the HLC as the Quality Initiative. Through some reflection, the decision was made to focus on student writing as NMSU’s project, which increased efforts and placed a greater focus on existing resources that had a positive impact on student writing.

In the United States, the accreditation process is organized through regional accrediting commissions and member institutions. Accreditation is critical not only to the institution, but also to our students. Information about accreditation in the United States and other avenues for institutions to receive Title IV funding can be found on the following websites.

Protocol for Communicating NMSU’s Affiliation with HLC

  • The NMSU website is compliant with HLC requirements to reflect our current accreditation status.
  • NMSU is not required to reference our affiliation or accreditation status on published marketing or promotional material, or on websites other than the one identified above.
  • IF and WHEN NMSU’s affiliation and accreditation status is referenced on published materials, we must also include HLC’s website address and telephone number. In doing so, we must ensure that placement of this information does not confuse the public about how to contact HLC as opposed to how to obtain information from NMSU. Such statements should read as follows:

NMSU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
HLC websiteHLC phone:  800.621.7440

  • NMSU may not use HLC’s logos for promotional or advertising purposes.

 

For information about Accreditation at other NMSU-System campuses:

NMSU Grants

NMSU Doña Ana Community College

NMSU Alamogordo

US Department of Educations renews HLC’s Recognition as a National Accrediting Agency