New Vermont university unifying 3 schools gets accreditation

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The newly established Vermont State University unifying three state schools has received accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education, the Vermont State College System announced Tuesday.

Vermont State University will be comprised of Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College and will welcome its first class in the fall of 2023. Consolidation talks started in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, as increasing costs and declining student enrollment exacerbated the college system’s financial challenges.

“Achieving accreditation for Vermont State University is monumental," said Lynn Dickinson, chair of the Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees, in a statement. “Accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education recognizes our strategic planning work, holds us accountable for maintaining high educational standards, and ensures we make continuous quality improvements for our students.”

Vermont State University will launch next July and open applications for its inaugural class in the coming months, said President Parwinder Grewal.