News Releases

UWI Mona granted institutional accreditation

For Release Upon Receipt - November 7, 2012

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus has been granted institutional accreditation by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), for a period of seven years, the maximum time possible. The accreditation took effect from February 1, 2012.  This is a significant development for the campus, which is now the first institution in Jamaica to secure institutional accreditation from the UCJ, as a way of validating its quality standards. Institutional accreditation means that all its undergraduate and graduate programmes are recognized.

In its Letter of Accreditation, the UCJ congratulated the institution on this milestone, adding that it expected the University to continue strengthening by focusing on its unique regional mission and serving its students. The UCJ also asked the institution to continue engaging a broad range of internal and external stakeholders in its major planning initiatives.

In welcoming the development, Campus Principal Professor Gordon Shirley noted that the University’s accredited status assures stakeholders of its commitment to excellence. 

Accreditation has become increasingly relevant in an environment in which the liberalization of higher education will become effective under the terms of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).  Given the current competitive structure of the regional market for tertiary education, this development means that more than ever before, institutions of higher education will have to become more accountable to their various stakeholders.

From its establishment by Royal Charter and the support of 15 Caribbean governments, The University of the West Indies (UWI) had adopted rigorous internal quality assurance measures for its programmes, including external reviews and external examiners. However, given the changing environment, The UWI took the decision to seek accreditation of the institution from the appropriate accrediting bodies in the region. Each of these bodies recognizes and accepts the accreditation granted by the others. The St. Augustine Campus sought, and has obtained, accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Trinidad & Tobago. The Cave Hill Campus and the Open Campus are currently seeking accreditation from the Barbados Accreditation Council.

For the latest UWI News, click http://sta.uwi.edu/news.

About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

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