The College of Eastern Idaho’s Early College Program has earned accreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships — the only national accrediting body for programs that allow high school students to earn college credit while still in school.
CEI was among 10 institutions nationwide to receive initial NACEP accreditation in the same timeframe, completing a comprehensive self-study and peer-review process to demonstrate it met all national standards. The accreditation is valid for five years.
The program served roughly 2,800 students during the 2025-26 school year, and has grown approximately 20% annually over the past three years. That growth reflects both new school district partnerships and rising student demand for dual enrollment courses.
NACEP reviewers specifically highlighted CEI’s instructional support and student advising department as strengths during the evaluation.
“We are proud to recognize programs that invest in this rigorous process and demonstrate their dedication to high standards in concurrent enrollment,” said Andrea Roma, NACEP’s Director of Accreditation.
CEI collaborates with local school districts to ensure the program meets nationally recognized benchmarks — a model similar to efforts across the region aimed at connecting students with post-secondary opportunities closer to home. The College of Southern Idaho has pursued comparable workforce and academic partnerships with Magic Valley employers to retain trained graduates in the region.
The accreditation marks a significant milestone for CEI’s dual enrollment growth and signals the program’s alignment with the country’s top concurrent enrollment standards going into the next academic cycle.