National Midwifery Institute, Inc. is accredited by the national accrediting body for direct-entry midwifery education, Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC). MEAC is a non-profit organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

MEAC’s Mission and Purpose Statement

"The Midwifery Education Accreditation Council’s mission is to promote excellence in midwifery education through accreditation. It creates standards and criteria for the education of midwives. MEAC standards incorporate the nationally recognized core competencies and guiding principles set by the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM),  and the requirements for national certification of the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).  MEAC’s accreditation criteria for midwifery education programs reflect the unique components and philosophy of the Midwives Model of Care. 

"The purpose of MEAC is to establish standards for the education of competent midwives, and to provide a process for self-evaluation and peer evaluation for diverse educational programs. MEAC is a non-profit organization approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency."

NMI’s Accreditation History 

National Midwifery Institute, Inc. began as Midwifery Institute of California in 1995. Midwifery Institute of California was pre-accredited in 1996 by MEAC. 

Due to substantive changes in the program—relocating the office to Vermont, and changing our name to National Midwifery Institute, Inc.—Midwifery Institute of California, Inc. relinquished (in good standing) pre-accreditation status in September, 2000. National Midwifery Institute, Inc. was then pre-accredited in March 2002. 

National Midwifery Institute, Inc. was granted full MEAC accreditation in October 2002. Accreditation was renewed in September 2005, September 2009, March 2014, and January 2019.

Why Choose a MEAC-Accredited School? 

Accreditation provides benefits to students, schools, the midwifery profession, and the public. For students, MEAC accreditation provides the following benefits: 

  • Consumer Protection: MEAC accreditation provides assurance that a school has been evaluated and has met accepted standards. As a MEAC-accredited school, National Midwifery Institute is regularly evaluated to ensure that the program meets the following accreditation standards:

    • Measure student success with respect to our mission;

    • Base our course of education on nationally recognized standards;

    • Utilize qualified faculty for our didactic and clinical education;

    • Maintain appropriate facilities, equipment, supplies and other resources;

    • Practice sound financial management;

    • Provide appropriate student services;

    • Establish policies and procedures regarding student affairs;

    • Include minimum lengths of didactic and clinical education; and

    • Have a mechanism for responding to complaints.

  • Assistance Choosing a Program: MEAC accreditation helps prospective students identify programs that meet accepted standards.

  • Quality Assurance: MEAC accreditation ensures that a program meets the following standards:

    • The program does what it promises in its promotional materials and website.

    • The education that students receive is comprehensive and well-rounded for entry-level midwifery practice.

    • The program has set objectives for enrolled students, provides services that enable students to meet the set objectives and can show that students benefit from the provided learning experiences.

    • The program continually goes through quality-improvement processes including feedback from peers and self-evaluation.

  • CPM Application Assistance: MEAC accredited programs assist students and graduates of their programs with the process of becoming a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).

  • Enhanced Employment Opportunities: Graduating from a MEAC accredited program provides practice opportunities in states that mandate this in order to qualify for midwifery licensure/certification. Employment possibilities with midwifery practices seeking to employ graduates from MEAC accredited programs are likewise increased. More than thirty states require either a passing score on the NARM Written Examination or CPM credential to qualify for licensure/certification, and in those states where legislation has most recently been enacted, all require successful completion of a MEAC accredited midwifery program (as per a resolution adopted by the United States Midwifery Education, Regulation Association (MERA) in June 2015 (see usmera.org for details).

For more information about MEAC and the benefits of choosing an accredited program, visit meacschools.org. 

 
 

To learn more, view the NMI Handbook.