Ģ����Ƶ

Accreditation

Ģ����Ƶ is accredited by the and is currently Accredited with Warning by WSCUC.

WASC Senior College and University Commission
1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 748-9001

 

WSCUC Statement on the Status of Ģ����Ƶ 

On June 26, 2026, the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) voted to issue a Warning for Ģ����Ƶ (DUC).

A Warning reflects the Commission’s finding that an institution fails to meet one or more of the WSCUC Standards of Accreditation. The Commission has determined that Ģ����Ƶ is not in compliance with WSCUC Standard 3. When the Commission finds that an institution fails to meet one or more of the Standards of Accreditation, it is required to notify the institution of these findings and give the institution a period of time to correct the deficiencies. Under the Commission’s policies the timeframe may not exceed two years. It is the responsibility of the Commission to determine, at the end of the sanction period, whether the institution has made the necessary corrections and has come into compliance with Commission Standards.

The accredited status of Ģ����Ƶ continues during the Warning period and students’ status within the college is not affected by this sanction.

The Commission’s decision to issue a Warning on Ģ����Ƶ is subject to the terms and conditions contained in the . This document is available on the . Anyone who has questions about Ģ����Ƶ’s accreditation status should contact Susan Clapper, Accreditation Liaison Officer at Ģ����Ƶ.

Ģ����Ƶ Response to WSCUC Statement

As University leadership has shared openly in recent years—with our campus, our community, and the media—Dominican, like many small, under-resourced colleges and universities nationally, faces serious financial challenges. We are taking the steps that the Commission recommends to address them.

Dominican is actively designing a pathway to financial sustainability that will position us to serve our students for many years to come, responding seriously and substantively to an increasingly challenging economic and employment context. In June, the University’s Board of Trustees voted to affirm a transformative strategic vision for Dominican as a Health and Community Wellbeing campus. This summer, our faculty, staff, Board members, and key community partners are developing a comprehensive action plan for enacting that vision swiftly and with integrity.

This vision is future-oriented, consistent with our mission, and builds on our existing areas of strength and demand. Dominican has always valued both liberal learning and professional education, integrated with service and community. The vision is also true to our exceptional record of catalyzing socioeconomic mobility for students from every background; we rank among the top institutions nationally for delivering that impact. 

As we proceed with this important and energizing work, we do so on financial footing that is measurably stronger than in previous years. Since 2024, Dominican has maintained a balanced operating budget (prior to depreciation), and we are forecast to do so again this year. In that period, we have prioritized gaining control of key metrics, including our Federal Student Aid (FSA) composite score. We raised our composite score FSA from 1.1 (2023) to 1.5 (2024) and to 1.9 (2025).

Savings efforts have included renegotiating major contracts, limiting travel expenses, and stabilizing utility costs through energy-efficiency upgrades. (Prior to upgrades, utilities costs were growing as much as 15% annually.) Revenue strategies include investing in fundraising staff to grow philanthropy and developing our capacity to rent campus facilities. We have launched high-demand academic programs.

Students are always at the center of our plans. Dominican has a very modest endowment and is highly tuition driven; still, the University delivers more than $27M in scholarships to students annually. 

The site visit team commended Dominican for 1) robust and effective student success and retention efforts that reflect faculty and staff dedication to the mission, students, and to each other; and 2) establishing multiple avenues for transparent communication regarding the institution’s financial challenges. also recognized Dominican as an “exemplar in the area of student success.” We believe we have sufficient resources and the right vision to transform and persevere in delivering that excellence.

For this fall, the University anticipates meeting our budgeted enrollment targets. As always, we continue to be committed to our returning students as they progress through their academic programs. For those students and the generations that follow, we believe that our efforts today will nourish a thriving, resilient institution that educates and prepares students to be ethical leaders and socially responsible citizens.

Sincerely,

Nicola Pitchford
President