Accreditation & Affiliations
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
Columbia College is certified to operate in Virginia by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
Website
www.schev.edu
Council on Occupational Education (COE)
Columbia College is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE) to award certificates and associate degrees. It is reaffirmed by COE after a team visit every 4-6 years.
Website
www.council.org
Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
The Columbia College English as a Second Language Program is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) for the period August 2022 through August 2027 and agrees to uphold the CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions. CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S.
Website
www.cea-accredit.org
Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)
Columbia College is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue Form I-20. Columbia College started admitting international students since 2000.
Website
www.ice.gov/sevis
Department of Education – Federal Financial Aid
In May 2009, the College was approved to participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (Title IV), which aimed to assist students with financing their education.
Website
fsatraining.ed.gov
Department of State
In 2010, J-1 Visa program for visiting international students and scholars was approved by U.S. Department of State.
Website
www.state.gov/
Department of Defense (DoD)
Columbia College has entered into an agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2017 and agrees to abide by the Principles of Excellence. The Principles of Excellence provide guidelines for institutions participating in the federal Tuition Assistance (TA) program.
Website
www.war.gov
State Department of Veterans Affairs (GI Bill®)
The College was approved for the training of Veterans by the State Department of Veterans Affairs in 2010. Columbia College is approved to offer GI Bill®* educational benefits by the Virginia State Approving Agency.
Website
benefits.va.gov/gibill
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)
Columbia has been approved in 2019 to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).
Website
nc-sara.org