NNU has a long and distinguished history as an accredited institution, having first been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). NNU was accredited as a junior college in 1930, and subsequently as a four-year college in 1937. NNU has maintained its institutional accreditation with the NWCCU since that time.