SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has been awarded full reaffirmation of its accreditation for the next seven years by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). This distinction reflects the dedication, innovation, and excellence of LTCC’s leadership, staff, and faculty in meeting and exceeding the Commission’s thorough standards.

This 2025 reaffirmation of accreditation is LTCC’s second consecutive unconditional reaffirmation (each cycle of accreditation review is now seven years—LTCC’s last reaffirmation was conferred in 2018). The a chievement is particularly significant given LTCC’s growth and progress over the past decade. In 2012, the College received five recommendations for improvement from the Commission. Today, LTCC not only meets the ACCJC’s standards but was commended for its emphasis on goal setting with annual progress updates and the alignment of resources with institutional goals.

“This reaffirmation highlights LTCC’s commitment to quality and continuous improvement. It’s a testament to the thoughtful work of the entire LTCC team and their focus on serving students and the South Lake Tahoe community,” said LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco.

ACCJC accreditation is a rigorous process that ensures colleges meet high standards for quality, accountability, and continuous improvement. LTCC submitted a comprehensive institutional self-evaluation with robust evidence documentation in December 2023, responded to follow-up inquiries from the ACCJC team from March to August 2024, and then hosted a five-member peer review team for an on-site visit in October 2024. Through this demanding internal and external evaluation process, LTCC demonstrated full compliance with ACCJC’s standards.

The ACCJC’s report states: “The Commission commends the College for its broad-based, comprehensive, and continuous engagement in strategic institutional planning and evidence-based annual evaluation, referred to as ‘progress updates,’ that demonstrates quantitative and qualitative progress on the achievement of its goals and the institution’s effectiveness with resource generation and prioritized allocations. This process of integrated planning, resource allocation, and evaluation, with effective and systematic communication, appears to have undergirded the college’s exceptional and ongoing momentum in securing resources and implementing programs and initiatives that have resulted in strong mission advancement.”

“Due, in part, to long-term consistency in Board membership and college presidency (current Superintendent-President Jeff DeFranco was hired in 2017 as the fifth permanent president during the college’s 50 years of service), LTCC has a long list of significant accomplishments in terms of program development, facilities improvements, and revenue generation that has supported numerous institutional achievements,” states the report.

LTCC’s accreditation was reaffirmed this cycle without any compliance requirements or recommendations for improvement, and the review highlighted the College’s forward-thinking initiatives.

This full reaffirmation ensures that LTCC remains eligible for federal funding, including financial aid programs, and that the credits earned by students are widely recognized and transferable to other institutions.

For a copy of the report and more details about LTCC’s accreditation or ongoing initiatives, visit http://www.ltcc.edu/accreditation.