North Idaho College entered 2025 awaiting a critical accreditation decision from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The NWCCU was expected to review NIC’s progress and render a decision in January or February 2025.

The college had spent nearly three years under sanctions: first a warning issued in April 2022, then a show cause sanction in February 2023. Federal regulations require the sanctions to be resolved by April 2025 or accreditation must be withdrawn.

NIC had resolved many of the issues identified by the accreditor. The college had a single president, Nick Swayne. Interim president Greg South’s contract had expired. Multiple lawsuits had been resolved. Board policies had been overhauled.

The fundamental question was whether the board had demonstrated that it could govern effectively going forward. The accreditor’s commission would weigh three years of evidence, including multiple campus visits, peer evaluation reports, and the college’s own submissions.