The Minerva Institute for Research and Scholarship has been granted accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges/Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC.) Having met WSCUC’s high quality assurance standards, Minerva Institute, a non-profit entity, operates Minerva University—a freestanding, independent, accredited educational institution. This accreditation is the culmination of an eight-year process where WSCUC has carefully examined every aspect of the programs and operation: its curriculum, pedagogy, planning, faculty and staff, governance, finances, and student outcomes.

KGI and Minerva Project entered into an affiliation in 2013, under which KGI would establish the Minerva Schools at KGI (MSKGI) and seek approval of the KGI-Minerva relationship and the programs that MSKGI would offer. WSCUC approved the relationship and all the currently offered programs, including the five undergraduate degrees, Master of Science in Decision Analysis, and Cornerstone Curriculum Certificate.

Minerva Schools thrived under KGI’s leadership and guidance and, as planned from the outset, Minerva Schools sought to become separately accredited from KGI and to operate as Minerva University. Minerva Institute, a non-profit, tax-exempt entity, was founded in 2013 to become the eventual home for Minerva University upon the grant of initial accreditation by WSCUC. In anticipation of this change, in July 2019 Minerva Institute assumed responsibility for funding and operating Minerva Schools.

In June 2021, WSCUC granted initial accreditation to Minerva University.