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

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • abstract illustration of school gym

    How the Gymnasium Can Serve as a Model for Learning Space Design

    Multipurpose gyms work because flexibility was built into the brief from the start, not retrofitted later. The same logic applies to academic spaces.