Accreditation

Roger Williams University Is Regionally Accredited

Roger Williams University - and therefore the entire Distance Calculus program - is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). NECHE accreditation is Regional Accreditation, which is the highest and oldest tier of academic accreditation in the United States.

Why Regional Accreditation Matters

There are several lower tiers of accreditation in U.S. higher education - commonly labeled "national" or "online" accreditation. Coursework from schools with lower accreditation levels often does not transfer cleanly to other colleges and universities, and that creates real friction for students trying to apply credits toward a home-institution degree.

Regional accreditation - the level Roger Williams University holds - is what virtually every U.S. college or university requires when evaluating incoming transfer credits. Employers who reimburse tuition under company benefits programs typically also require regionally accredited coursework before they'll pay.

About NECHE

Accreditation is the formal process U.S. higher education uses to evaluate colleges, universities, and educational programs for quality and continuous improvement. There are six regional accrediting organizations in the U.S., each reviewing degree-granting institutions in its region. Roger Williams University is accredited by NECHE (formerly NEASC), which sets and maintains high standards across all levels of education from pre-K to doctoral. NECHE serves roughly 1,866 public and independent schools, colleges, and universities across the six New England states and 114 American/International schools worldwide.

Regional accreditation ensures the academic programs of Roger Williams University meet the same quality and rigor standards as premier colleges and universities nationwide. Roger Williams University accreditation page →

Distance Calculus operates as a partnership between RWU and Roger Williams University - University College; courses you take here are RWU courses in every formal sense.

Accreditation and Transcripts

Successful completion of any Distance Calculus course earns you a course record on an Official Academic Transcript from Roger Williams University. The transcript shows:

• Course name and DMAT course number
• Course credit hours
• Academic term of enrollment
• Earned letter grade

For example, if you enrolled in DMAT 253 - STEM Calculus I and earned a letter grade of "B", the transcript shows:

ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT
Course      Title              Credits   Term                  Grade
DMAT 213    STEM Calculus I    4         Fall 2026             B

That is exactly the same designation a student would receive after completing the course on-campus at Roger Williams University. There is no "Distance Calculus" annotation, no special flag, no transcript marker that distinguishes it from the on-campus version of the course.

Accreditation and Transferring Credits

The majority of students enrolled in Distance Calculus take these courses with the intent of transferring the earned credits to a home institution. The transferring process at most U.S. colleges and universities is called articulation: the student fills out a form (online or PDF) asking their school's permission to take a course elsewhere and apply it toward their degree.

The first question on virtually every articulation form is: "Is the planned transfer course being completed at an accredited college or university?" - and the answer for Distance Calculus courses is an unambiguous yes: regional accreditation, the strongest tier.

But "yes, accredited" does not automatically mean credits transfer. Two additional factors matter:

• Major/department policy. Some majors prefer or require their own department's courses and don't accept outside coursework, regardless of accreditation.
• Online-coursework policy. Some institutions still apply extra scrutiny to online courses because the quality of online programs nationwide varies widely.

For both reasons, every prospective transfer student should ask permission first - both from the registrar and from the major department, with an academic advisor's input on the overall academic plan. See the Transferring Credits page for the full process.

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