Northern Caribbean University is accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association in Washington D.C., and is recognized by the United States Office of Education as an approved centre of higher education, for the purpose of loans and grants. The University is also recognized by the Canada Student Loan and the Alberta Student Assistance Programme.

The University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) has certified that Northern Caribbean University is a legitimate tertiary degree-granting institution. A listing of all the accredited programmes is available on the UCJ website.

The Joint Board of Teacher Education of Jamaica accredits the Primary and Secondary Education diploma programmes. The Nursing Council of Jamaica certifies the Nursing Degree programmes. The Medical Technology and Dietetics programmes are approved by the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine

Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, accepts Northern Caribbean University biology graduates into its School of Dentistry and graduate science programmes. Students who have taken the bachelor's degree in nursing at the university and who are certified registered nurses are accepted into its master's programmes. Loma Linda also conducts advance graduate labs on their California campus for NCU's graduate science students.

By formal agreement, Walla Walla College, in the state of Washington, accepts into its accredited baccalaureate programmes in Engineering, students who have completed the Associate of Science in Engineering at Northern Caribbean University. These students are required to do at least one year and a half at Walla Walla College before qualifying for the bachelor's degree.

The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona accepts NCU Biology graduates into its medical school and St. Augustine Campus of UWI accepts A.Sc. Engineering students from NCU into its B.Sc. in Engineering Programme.

Northern Caribbean University is a member of the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE), and the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions (ACTI). The president of the university is a member of the Board of the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), and has served as chairman of the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE).