New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a nationally recognized organization whose affiliated institutions include elementary schools through collegiate institutions offering postgraduate instruction. NECHE accreditation indicates the school meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer group review process.
An accredited college is one that 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.
NECHE accreditation applies to the institution as a whole, providing reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.
NECHE Standard 10.-8 Public Disclosure
The University of Maine at Farmington assures notice and ready availability on request of all its publications. It is also responsive to reasonable requests about itself. The institution provides notice as to the availability upon request of the institution’s most recent audited financial statement or a fair summary thereof.
For updated information related to the Learning Goals for each UMF academic program, click the Learning Goals button below.
Learning GoalsNECHE Sought Public Comment
The University of Maine System, of which the University of Maine at Farmington is a member, underwent a comprehensive evaluation visit from October 2-5, 2022 by a team representing the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
As part of its comprehensive evaluation process, NECHE sought public comment addressing substantive matters related to the quality of UMF. The public comment period has now closed and the Commission of Higher Education cannot guarantee that comments received after October 5, 2022 will be considered.
NECHE is one of seven accrediting commissions in the United States providing institutional accreditation on a primarily regional basis. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole.
Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, NECHE accredits approximately 220 institutions, mainly in the New England region and overseas.
The University of Maine System (UMS) has been accredited by NECHE since July 2020. UMS accreditation encompasses the seven universities — the University of Maine at Farmington; the University of Maine at Augusta; the University of Maine at Fort Kent; the University of Maine at Presque Isle; the University of Southern Maine; the University of Maine and the University at Maine at Machias, a regional campus of the University of Maine — as well as the University of Maine School of Law.
For the past several months, UMS has been engaged in a process of self-study addressing the Commission’s Standards For Accreditation. An evaluation team will visit our universities and Law School to gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate. The team will recommend to the Commission a continuing status for UMS, and following a review process, the Commission itself will take the final action.
The public is invited to submit comments regarding the University of Maine System to:
Public Comment on the University of Maine System
New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100
Burlington, MA 01803-4514
Per NECHE policy, public comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution. The Commission cannot settle disputes between persons and institutions, whether those involve faculty, students, administrators, or members of other groups. Comments will not be treated as confidential and must include the name, address, and telephone number of the person providing the comments.
Council for the Accreditation of Education Programs (CAEP)
The University of Maine at Farmington teacher education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Education Programs (CAEP), effective Spring 2018 to Spring 2025. UMF was the first program in Maine to receive this higher and more rigorous standard of national accreditation. CAEP (formerly named NCATE) is a professional accreditor that reviews departments, schools, and colleges that prepare teachers and other educators.
After completing a program, teachers seek licensure or certification from the state in which they wish to teach.
The scope of CAEP’s work is the accreditation of educator preparation providers having programs leading to certification/licensure, bachelor’s, master’s, post-baccalaureate, and doctoral degrees in the United States and internationally.
For updated information related to CAEP’s Annual Reporting Measures, click the CAEP Accountability Measures button below.
CAEP Accountability MeasuresThe CAEP Standards and their components flow from two principles
- Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and
- There must be solid evidence that the provider’s educator staff has the capacity to create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.
The five CAEP Standards, below, flow from these guiding principles, and the standards of evidence that define them are the backbone of the accreditation process. They define quality in terms of organizational performance and serve as the basis for accreditation reviews and judgments.
- Standard 1: Content and Pedagogical Knowledge
- Standard 2: Clinical Partnerships and Practice
- Standard 3: Candidate Quality, Recruitment, and Selectivity
- Standard 4: Program Impact
- Standard 5: Provider Quality, Continuous Improvement, and Capacity