Accreditation

Burlington College is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. The Association, one of six regional accrediting bodies in the United States, has as its primary purpose the accreditation of educational institutions. Through its evaluation activities, the Association provides public assurance about the educational quality of those schools and colleges that seek or wish to maintain accreditation.

Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the New England Association indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer review process. An accredited college is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

The Commission deals with institutional differences in ways designed to protect both educational quality and individual philosophy and practice. The Standards are essentially qualitative criteria that measure the institution's current state of educational effectiveness. They allow the Commission to appraise a wide variety of collegiate institutions, differing in purpose, size, organization, scope of program, clientele served, support, and control. By design, the Standards do not preclude perceptive and imaginative experimentation aimed at increasing the effectiveness of higher education.

Inquiries regarding the accreditation status by the New England Association should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals may also contact:
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
209 Burlington Road
Bedford, MA 01730-1433,
(781)271-0022
cihe@neasc.org