Accreditation


Cerritos College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

As an ACCJC-accredited institution, Cerritos College participates in a rigorous eight-year cycle of evaluation that includes institutional self-study and peer review to ensure continuous improvement and educational quality. Cerritos College received its most recent reaffirmation of accreditation in 2022.

Completing the accreditation process for reaffirmation is a crucial step in demonstrating that the college meets the required levels of quality and accountability. Equally, it is an opportunity to focus on ways to improve and strengthen our college as a teaching and learning organization, and identify ways we can serve students and meet their changing needs even better.
 
Our Accreditation reaffirmation efforts will culminate in a Focused Site Visit, which will take place during the week of March 1, 2027.
 
In preparation for the onsite visit, the ACCJC Peer Review Team will host a virtual Accreditation Open Forum on Tuesday, October 12, from 2:00 – 3:00 pm via Zoom. The purpose of the Open Forum is to give faculty, staff, students, and the community an opportunity to engage in a virtual conversation with the peer review team and to share perspectives on how Cerritos is fulfilling its mission, highlight our strengths, and offer observations that support our continued growth. This session is intended for listening and information gathering by the visiting team.
 
Per ACCJC practice, all managers and Board Members will not attend the forum.

When: Monday, October 12, 2:00 – 3:00 pm.

Where/How to Attend: Via Zoom. A link will be emailed and posted on the Accreditation webpage during the week of September 21.

 

Download 2026 Institutional Self-Evaluation Report

 Accreditation

 Past Accreditations

This website provides public access to all of Cerritos College's accreditation-related records. Documents will be posted as they become available. Additional information about the accrediting commission and accreditation process is available on the left. Linked documents are in PDF format.​ (Download Acrobat Reader)

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is located at 428 J Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814. Telephone contact is 415-506-0234, and email contact is accjc@accjc.org.

Students and members of the public who desire to file a formal complaint to the Commission about Cerritos Community College District should become familiar with the requirements for doing so prior to contacting the Commission. Following is a link to the Commission's Policy on Student and Public Complaints Against Institutions which will assist you in understanding the issues the Commission can and cannot address through the complaint process. The policy explains the procedures for filing a complaint.

Complaint Policy

Complaint Form

Third-Party Comments to ACCJC

A third-party comment assists the ACCJC Commission as it considers applications for candidacy, accreditation, or reaffirmation of accreditation. When an institution is undergoing a review, the Commission requires the institution’s chief executive officer to notify the campus community and public of the opportunity for submission of third-party comments and the process for doing so. Any member of the college community or public may submit a third-party comment by completing the Commission’s online third-party comment form, available via the institution’s website or ACCJC’s website. In order to ensure evaluation of applicable third-party comments by the peer review team, third-party comments should be received by the Commission staff no later than five weeks before the peer review team visit. Institutions will be provided an opportunity to review applicable third-party comments. 

For more information access the form at: https://accjc.org/forms/third-party-comments/.