The Peralta Colleges -- Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College -- are accredited by the of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.
The four Peralta Colleges are approved by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and are accredited by ACCJC of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
For information on the current accreditation status of our four colleges please click the links below:
The ACCJC accredits institutions in California, Hawaii, the Territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which have as a primary mission the granting of associate degrees, but which may also award certificates and other credentials, including bachelor鈥檚 degrees, where the provision of such credentials is within the institution鈥檚 mission and, if applicable, as authorized by their governmental authorities.The Office of Private Postsecondary Education also approves the four Peralta Colleges to offer courses to U.S. Veterans for the collection of Veterans鈥� benefits.
Each institution affiliated with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges accepts the obligation to undergo periodic evaluation through Institutional Self Evaluation (self-study) and professional peer review. The heart of this obligation is the conducting of a rigorous Institutional Self Evaluation during which an institution appraises itself in terms of its stated purposes. A Comprehensive Institutional Self Evaluation is required every six years following initial accreditation. A Midterm Report is required three years after the Comprehensive Institutional Self Evaluation.