RMCAD has achieved the highest level of accreditation attainable.

We are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC) and nationally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The on-ground professional Interior Design BFA program is fully accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). The Art Education Program leading to the BFA is approved by the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Department of Education.

RMCAD online programs are fully accredited by NASAD. Under RMCAD's accreditation relationship with the Higher Learning Commission, RMCAD may offer up to half the courses in a degree program through online delivery without additional approval. A focused visit will be conducted in the Spring of 2011 by the Higher Learning Commission to review RMCAD's proposal for full online delivery of the BFA in 3D Animation and the BFA in Interior Design. Both the on-ground and online Interior Design BFA programs share the same curriculum and it is RMCAD's goal to achieve CIDA accreditation for the online program in the future.

Why this might matter to you:

Schools accredited by these agencies are held to a very high degree of accountability. Our programs are regularly scrutinized by independent authorities to verify that we are employing the most important, relevant and comprehensive approaches to learning.

Preparedness to work.

Accreditation ensures that every student has the opportunity to study in a way that produces not only a talented artist, but an artist who is well prepared to succeed in the real art world after graduating.

Portability of credits.

The fact is many students today will enroll at more than one college or university throughout their undergraduate studies. Courses taken at an accredited school, like RMCAD, are far more likely to be accepted as transfer courses than courses taken at a school that is not accredited.

Longevity of credits.

After earning an undergraduate degree (BFA, BA, BS) many students continue their studies and pursue a graduate level degree (MFA, MA, PhD). Students who do not study at an accredited school as an undergraduate may not be accepted to their graduate program of choice at an accredited college or university.