Accreditation

Institutional Accreditation

Iowa Western Community College is accredited as a post-secondary institution by the Higher Learning Commission, 230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604, (800) 621-7440.

Iowa Western Community College was initially granted accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, presently known as the Higher Learning Commission, in 1975. The College has maintained its accreditation status through the traditional self-study and peer review process predicated upon a continuous quality improvement model developed by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2018, IWCC underwent its comprehensive quality review and received reaffirmation of accreditation through 2028.


State Accreditation

Iowa Western is also accredited by the Iowa Department of Education. The College successfully completed its 10-year state accreditation comprehensive evaluation in March 2022.


External Accreditation and Licensure

Aviation Maintenance

Airframe and Powerplant Certificates

Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for the Federal Aviation Administration examination to receive their license and become certified aircraft mechanics in Airframe and/or Powerplant. The Aviation Maintenance Technology program is accredited by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 3753 SE Convenience Blvd., Ankeny, IA 50021, phone: (515) 289-4819, fax: (515) 289-3855 www.faa.gov    

This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
All 50 states

This program does NOT meet the educational requirements in the following states:
None

The following states do not require licensure/certification for this program:
NA

Dental Assistant

The Dental Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of approval with reporting requirements. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s web address: http://www.ada.org/en/coda

Upon graduation from this program, students are eligible to sit for the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) certification board exams, and the Iowa Dental Board Exams for registration in the state of Iowa.

This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
Alaska
Arkansas
California
DC
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington

This program does NOT meet the educational requirements in the following states:
None

The following states do not require licensure/certification for this program:
Alabama
Hawaii
Idaho
Nevada
Wisconsin

Dental Hygiene

The Dental Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval with reporting requirements”. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s web address: http://www.ada.org/en/coda

Upon graduation from this program, students are eligible to apply for their registered dental hygienist license (RDH) following successful passing of the written National Dental Hygiene board Exam (NBDHE) and the Central Regional Dental Testing Service (CRDTS) clinical board examination.

This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
All 50 states

This program does NOT meet the educational requirements in the following states:
None

The following states do not require licensure/certification for this program:
NA

Medical Assistant

The Medical Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs 25400 US Highway 19 N., Suite 158 Clearwater, FL 33763 727-210-2350 www.caahep.org

Upon graduation from this program, students are eligible to sit for national testing certification through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and registration through the American Medical Technologists.

This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
All 50 states

This program does NOT meet the educational requirements in the following states:
None

The following states do not require licensure/certification for this program:
Nebraska
Iowa
California
Alaska
Arizona
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Georgia
Florida
North Carolina
Kansas
Missouri
Kentucky
West Virginia
Ohio
Maryland
Delaware
Connecticut
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Vermont
Maine
Hawaii
Montana
Wyoming
South Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Washington DC
Michigan

Nursing

The Nursing programs are approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing, RiverPoint Business Park, 400 SW 8th Street, Suite B, Des Moines, IA 50309-4685, (515) 281-3255.

Upon graduation from the PNN program, students are eligible to sit for the NCLEX for Practical Nurse licensure. Upon graduation from the ADN program, students are eligible to sit for the NCLEX for Registered Nurse licensure.

This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
All 50 states

This program does NOT meet the educational requirements in the following states:
None

The following states do not require licensure/certification for this program:
Nebraska
Iowa
California
Alaska
Arizona
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Georgia
Florida
North Carolina
Kansas
Missouri
Kentucky
West Virginia
Ohio
Maryland
Delaware
Connecticut
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Vermont
Maine
Hawaii
Montana
Wyoming
South Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Washington DC
Michigan
This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

This program does NOT meet the educational requirements in the following states:
Alabama
Alaska
California
Connecticut
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington

The following states do not require licensure/certification for this program:
All states require passing of the state certification exams prior to working in the profession.

Surgical Tech

The Surgical Technology program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), 25400 U.S. Highway 19 North, Suite 158 Clearwater, FL 33763 Phone 727-210-2350, Fax 727-210-2354, www.caahep.org.

Upon graduation from this program, students will sit for the National Certified Surgical Technologist exam through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting.

This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
All 50 states

This program does NOT meet the educational requirements in the following states:
None

The following states do not require licensure/certification for this program:
Nebraska
Iowa
California
Alaska
Arizona
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Georgia
Florida
North Carolina
Kansas
Missouri
Kentucky
West Virginia
Ohio
Maryland
Delaware
Connecticut
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Vermont
Maine
Hawaii
Montana
Wyoming
South Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Washington DC
Michigan

Veterinary Technology

The Veterinary Technology Program at Iowa Western Community College is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) as a program for educating veterinary technicians. 1931 N. Meacham Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173, (800) 248-2862, www.avma.org

This program meets the educational requirements in the following states:
Graduation from IWCC qualifies students to sit for VTNE (Vet Tech National Exam) which is required to work in all 50 states


High School Concurrent Enrollment Program

The Concurrent Enrollment Program is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). In partnership with the Iowa Western Institutional Effectiveness office, the Concurrent Enrollment Program routinely evaluates the efficacy of the program in an effort to use data results and information for continuous quality improvement. Surveys are conducted with partners, counselors, concurrent enrollment instructors, and student alumni. The results are analyzed and summarized in a report shared with Iowa Western administration and our partners.

NACEP 2021 Survey Report