St. Ambrose University is an accredited university

Accreditation ensures the rigor and quality of our programs. Many are industry-recognized, ensuring St. Ambrose University is respected and relevant.

Why is accreditation important?

Accreditation ensures a university meets quality standards, enhancing credibility and facilitating credit transfers.

Quality and stability

Accreditation proves that an institution meets quality standards for faculty, curriculum, services, and financial stability.

Valued by employers and institutions

Accreditation is valued by employers, professional associations, and other higher education institutions.

Facilitating credit transfers

Accreditation helps facilitate credit transfers between accredited institutions.

Understanding accreditation

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) serves as a national advocate and voice for promoting academic quality through accreditation. CHEA is an association of degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations. CHEA is the only national organization in the United States focused exclusively on higher education accreditation and quality assurance. The CHEA Accreditation Toolkit provides important information on U.S. higher education accreditation and recognition to students, families, faculty, administration, governing boards, and accrediting organizations.

See CHEA toolkit

Specialized accreditations

Beyond our institutional accreditation, St. Ambrose University proudly holds specialized and program-specific accreditations, highlighting the quality and excellence of our degree programs.

Bachelor's programs

Explore bachelor's programs with specialized accreditations, including business, education, social work, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, and nursing.

Learn more
Master's programs

Master's programs with specialized accreditations include business, physician assistant studies, public health, social work, and speech-language pathology.

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Doctoral & residency programs

Explore doctoral and residency programs with specialized accreditations, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and orthopaedic and pediatric residency programs.

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How to file a complaint

St. Ambrose University seeks to resolve all student concerns in a timely and effective manner. It is expected that students will fully utilize any or all the University’s administrative procedures to address concerns or complaints in a timely manner.

St. Ambrose University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

We are proud to be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), ensuring our commitment to academic excellence and student success. Accreditation by the HLC signifies that SAU meets rigorous standards for educational quality, institutional effectiveness, and continuous improvement. It's your assurance that our programs, faculty, and facilities are held to high standards of excellence.

Accreditation Information:

Accredited by: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Accreditation Status: Accredited
Accreditation Date: 2017 - 2018

Questions about our accreditation? Contact the HLC:

Phone: 800-621-7440 or 312-263-0456
Email: info@hlcommission.org
Address: 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604

Explore how accreditation benefits you, our commitment to continuous improvement, and how we ensure a quality educational experience at SAU. Visit our accreditation page for more details.

HLC website

Additional information

Educational requirements for licensure programs

Federal guidelines established in 2019 require institutions such as St. Ambrose University to publicly disclose whether an academic program will fulfill educational requirements for specific professional licensure for employment in an occupation.

The programs listed below are the professional licensure programs at St Ambrose University. Educational requirements are noted for all states. Requirements may, however, change at the digression of the state, and as such, interested applicants and current candidates for licensure should consult with licensure boards within jurisdictions of interest.

All documents below are Excel (.xlsx) files:

Student Location Policy

In accordance with 34 CFR §600.9 - State Authorization and federal regulations for Title IV purposes, St. Ambrose University has a policy that defines student location for purposes of complying with disclosure requirements.

This policy defines the student location as the State where the student resides at the time of enrollment at St. Ambrose University. Simply put, it is the place where someone would complete the majority of their required coursework. As such, Iowa is considered the location for students enrolled in face-to-face licensure programs at any of SAU's Iowa-based campuses. Students in online programs living outside of the state of Iowa are defined by their state of residence.

The designated state will remain in effect unless and until a student changes the address using the Change of Address form located on the Registrar's Portal Page or the Office of the Registrar website. Once a student enters a new U.S. State or territory, the university will consider that date of entry as the effective date of a student’s revised location for the purposes of this policy.

NOTE: licensing and authorization requirements can vary by state therefore any relocation by prospective and current students can impact their ability to continue the course, meet the eligibility requirements of that state, and/or receive financial aid funding. Students considering relocation should contact their academic program to check for authorization and licensure eligibility requirements.

SAU ACCREDITATIONS