Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New Standards Published for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA)

  • 03/04/16

WASHINGTON, DC – Capping a meticulous process, the National League for Nursing’s Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) has voted to issue comprehensive new Standards of Accreditation for nursing programs across the academic spectrum. These standards, crafted from evidence-based best practices, set a high benchmark for nursing programs around the globe.

To be accredited by the NLN CNEA means a program has met five specific standards, each one measured by a broad nexus of quality indicators spelled out by interpretative guidelines included in the document. Initially released in draft form in 2014, the Standards of Accreditation were refined and finalized following a period of public review and commentary.

The NLN CNEA has the authority to accredit nursing programs that offer LPN/LVN; diploma; associate; bachelor; master’s and post–master’s certificates; and clinical doctorate degrees. The five standards will be applied equally to all types of nursing programs:

  • Standard I. Culture of Excellence: Program Outcomes
  • Standard II. Program Integrity: Mission, Governance, and Resources
  • Standard III. Culture of Excellence and Caring: Faculty
  • Standard IV. Culture of Excellence and Caring: Students
  • Standard V. Culture of Learning and Diversity: Curriculum and Evaluation Processes

Noting the significance of the vote by the Board of Commissioners, NLN CNEA executive director, Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, remarks: “This represents an important step in achieving the mission of the NLN CNEA to promote excellence and integrity in nursing education globally through an accreditation process that respects the diversity of program mission, curricula, students, and faculty; emphasizes a culture of continuous quality improvement; and influences the preparation of a caring and competent nursing workforce.”

Joan Darden, PhD, RN, ANEF, chair of the 15-member Board of Commissioners that provides leadership and direction to the NLN CNEA and oversees all accreditation decisions, adds: “With this historic action, the NLN CNEA has alerted schools of nursing it is ready to begin reviewing applications for pre-accreditation candidacy. I commend the board of commissioners and everyone who contributed to this process to empower the NLN CNEA.”

Adds NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN: “On behalf of the League, I congratulate the NLN CNEA on the culmination of their efforts. We take pride in a set of standards designed to meet the needs of faculty and students for access to the highest quality instruction and most effective nursing workforce preparation, reflective of the core values of the National League for Nursing: caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence.” 

For more information about NLN CNEA, please contact executive director Dr. Judith Halstead: 202/909-2487; [email protected].

Featured

  • New City School

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Transforming New City School

    When New City School in St. Louis suffered catastrophic flood damage in July 2022, the event could have marked a serious setback for the 100-year-old institution. Instead, it became a forward-looking opportunity.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.