Accreditation and Approvals

Institutional Accreditation

National Louis University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), one of six institutional accreditors recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Please visit Accreditation for more information.

Specialized and Programmatic Accreditation

While you can click on the respective college names to learn more about their programmatic and specialized approvals, a high-level summary is provided below:

• The National College of Education meets all standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
• Certain business programs in the School of Business and Information Technology and the Undergraduate College have earned professional accreditation from the International Accreditation Council for Business Education.
• The IL based counseling program in the College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
• A few programs in the Kendall College of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management are accredited by the American Culinary Federation.
• Selected programs in the National College of Education and the Undergraduate College are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education for licensure of education professionals.

State Approvals

National Louis University is authorized to operate as a degree granting institution in the following states:

Illinois: The University is authorized to operate in Illinois by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Florida: National Louis University is a not-for-profit organization registered with the Florida Division of Corporations to do business in Florida.

The University holds License by Means of Accreditation from the Florida Commission for Independent Education of the Florida Department of Education to operate as a university, to offer programs of instruction, and to award degrees. Additional information regarding NLU may be obtained by contacting the Commission for Independent Education at: 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1414, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400. Toll free phone number: 888.224.6684.

Credit and degrees earned from colleges in the State of Florida which are licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education do not automatically qualify the holder for a Florida teaching certificate. Any person interested in obtaining a Florida teaching certificate should contact the Office of Teacher Certification, Department of Education, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

In the state of Florida, students need to graduate from a state-approved program and then pass the FELE in order to receive a certification from Florida DOE in Educational Leadership that enables them to hold leadership positions at the district and state levels. As a state-approved program, graduates of NLU's M.Ed., Ed.S., and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership will be awarded the degree which completes the first requirement needed to obtain a certification in Educational Leadership.  

For additional information regarding programs that lead to licensure and/or certification please visit the NLU Public Disclosures for Licensure page. 

NLU is also a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA). As a SARA member, NLU is authorized to offer distance education to other SARA member states.