Oct. 5, 2026–Missouri Western State University will host a site visit team from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) as part of the institutional accrediting body’s routine 10-year evaluation of MoWest’s accreditation.
The site visit team is made up of five campus leaders from public institutions in other states. During the visit on Oct. 5-6, they will meet with students, faculty, staff, administrators and members of the Board of Governors. The site visit team will use their time on campus to verify MoWest’s Assurance Argument, a 30-thousand-word self-study addressing four HLC criteria: mission, ethics, academics and leadership. Within approximately two months of the site visit, the site visit team will provide their recommendations on whether MoWest meets each criterion.
According to HLC, “institutional accreditation validates the quality of an institution as a whole and evaluates multiple aspects of an institution, including its academic offerings, governance and administration, mission, finances, and resources.” Accreditation is also required to award federal financial aid to students.
MoWest was first accredited by HLC in 1919, when it was St. Joseph Junior College, and has been continuously accredited since then.
Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. MoWest is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit missouriwestern.edu.