The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) traces its roots to 1885 with the founding of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

NECHE is a voluntary, non‑governmental, peer‑based membership association that accredits degree‑granting higher education institutions. Its mission is to ensure that accredited institutions have clearly defined objectives consistent with NECHE’s Standards for Accreditation, they are achieving and can continue to achieve those objectives, and t they engage in ongoing self-study, assessment, and institutional improvement

NECHE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a reliable authority for institutional accreditation. NECHE provides institutional accreditation, evaluating the institution as a whole, including all programs, all locations, and online offerings. It examines mission, governance, academic programs, resources, educational effectiveness, and transparency.

The organization serves public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, research universities, and professional schools, both in New England, across the U.S., and internationally. NECHE currently accredits over 200 institutions across the United States and elsewhere. Although its historic regional boundaries were the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont), NECHE now accredits institutions both outside those states and internationally.

Governance occurs through commissioners who are elected from presidents, senior administrators, and faculty of member institutions, as well as public representatives. Commissioners serve no more than two three-year terms.

New Non-Credit Recognition Initiative

In 2025, NECHE launched a Non‑Credit Recognition initiative to identify high-quality non‑credit programs. Key points of the initiative include:

• NECHE will recognize non-credit program providers, using peer evaluation and a framework designed for non-credit credentials or programming.
• The initiative reflects NECHE’s recognition that higher education extends beyond degree-granting programs, and that non-credit credentials and lifelong-learning modalities warrant rigorous quality assurance.
• It underscores NECHE’s commitment to innovation and responding to evolving higher-education landscapes, including online, non-traditional, and non-degree offerings.

Resources

https://www.neche.org/about

https://www.neche.org/neche-non-credit-recognition-press-release

https://www.neche.org/roster