Accreditation

Providence is chartered by the province of Manitoba to offer Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral degrees. The University of Manitoba accepts Providence degrees to meet the requirements for entry into graduate studies. The Province of Manitoba recognizes Providence degrees towards teacher certification, along with a Bachelor of Education from a public university.

Accrediting Bodies

The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)

Providence University College and Theological Seminary (Manitoba, Canada) will be hosting a comprehensive accreditation visit by a team of evaluators from the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) (March 11-13, 2025) to determine its compliance with the standards for accreditation. During the visit, representatives of the ABHE team will entertain comments from the public. Any members of the public interested in making a presentation regarding the institution to the team should contact the institution at the following telephone number (1-800-668-7768) or email address (info@prov.ca) to determine a meeting time. Persons wishing to submit third party comments related to the institution may send them through the electronic form, or email coa@abhe.org, or mail ABHE Commission on Accreditation, 5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Suite 130, Orlando, FL 32822. Persons interested in reviewing the standards for accreditation will find them on the ABHE website. They appear under Accreditation/Accreditation Resources/COA Manual. The institution is subject to the Institutional Accreditation Standards.

Providence University College and Theological Seminary is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation (5850 T.G. Lee Blvd, Suite 130, Orlando, FL 32822, 407-207-0808) to grant certificates and degrees at the Associate, Baccalaureate, Master’s, and Doctoral levels. The ABHE Commission on Accreditation’s recognition with the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) includes certificates, diplomas, associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees, including doctoral degrees. The Commission’s scope of recognition with the U.S. Department of Education does not include doctoral education.

The ABHE Commission on Accreditation has placed Providence University College and Theological Seminary on warning for weaknesses in satisfying the following accreditation standard(s).

• Standard 5: EE 2 (demonstrate financial stability, including adequate revenue streams to realize institutional mission and sufficient financial reserves to enable effective response to unforeseen financial circumstances and enrollment fluctuations).
• Standard 5: EE 3 (demonstrate with evidence a budgeting process that serves as an effective instrument of financial oversight and planning).

The institution retains accredited status with ABHE during this period of warning, and will be subject to periodic monitoring, which may include progress reports and/or focused visits by Commission on Accreditation staff or evaluation teams. If weaknesses are not resolved within the time specified (usually one year), the Commission on Accreditation may (1) extend the warning for a second year, (2) place the institution on probation, (3) order the institution to show cause why its accreditation should be continued, or (4) withdraw accreditation. Warning is rarely extended beyond two years.

Teachers of English as a Second Language – Canada (TESL Canada)

The Providence TESOL program is accredited by Teachers of English as a Second Language – Canada, an internally recognized accrediting agency for teaching English to speakers of other languages.

The Association of Theological Schools (ATS)

Providence Theological Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of The Association of Theological Schools and is approved to offer the following degrees: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Counselling, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Master of Arts in Educational Studies, Master of Arts in Global Studies and Doctor of Ministry, as well as a Comprehensive Distance Education Program.

Providence Theological Seminary is under warning by the Association of Theological Schools. Issuing a warning is a public action (the lowest level of three public sanctions) that is taken when the Board determines that an accredited school substantially meets the Standards but is at risk of not meeting one or more standards. The Board may issue a warning based on information from an evaluation committee (for a comprehensive or focused visit), a required report, regular monitoring activities, or other appropriate sources. Issuing a warning is a reviewable action. The school has an insufficient evaluation process for its educational programs. The school must submit a report by the 1st of November 2026, documenting how it meets all four parts of Standard 2.6 for each degree with an educational evaluation plan that addresses the items listed in Standard 2.7, including “clear benchmarks for evaluating success.”