On July 9, 2026, Southwestern Law School was granted Initial Accreditation by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), marking an important milestone in the law school’s 115-year history. Southwestern remains accredited by the American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. 

WSCUC accreditation applies to Southwestern as an institution. The Commission’s action encompassed the degrees currently offered by the law school, including the Juris Doctor, offered residentially and online; the General LLM; the Entertainment & Media Law LLM; the J.D./MBA, offered residentially and online with Claremont Graduate University; and the Bachelor’s Degree/J.D. 3+3 program with California State University, Northridge. The ABA Council accredits Southwestern’s Juris Doctor degree. WSCUC accreditation also opens the possibility of the law school offering additional degrees in the future. 

The WSCUC action follows a comprehensive review process that included an institutional self-study, peer review, and an on-site evaluation. WSCUC is an institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 

“This is an exciting and joyful moment,” said Darby Dickerson, Southwestern’s President and Dean. “WSCUC accreditation recognizes Southwestern’s strength as an institution and affirms the mission-driven work our faculty and staff do every day to serve our students and advance knowledge. It reflects years of careful planning, candid self-study, and collaboration across the law school. I am deeply grateful to our Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and alumni, whose commitment made this achievement possible. I also want to thank WSCUC’s staff and volunteer peer reviewers for the care, rigor, and generosity they brought to the process. We are honored to join the WSCUC community and excited for Southwestern’s next chapter.” 

As Southwestern looks ahead, this milestone strengthens the law school’s capacity to innovate, support student success, and serve the legal profession. 

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Southwestern Law School is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500, Alameda, CA 94501, 510.748.9001, and by the American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-988-6738).