Elizabeth City State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone number is 404-679-4501) to award degrees at the baccalaureate and master's levels.

ECSU's Teacher Education Program is approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education and accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Its Industrial Technology Program is accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology.

ECSU's Laboratory School is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The university as a whole, or through components of it, has current memberships in various professional learned organizations. Memberships are held in the following;

	American Council on Education		National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
	American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education		National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
	American Association of Higher Education		National Association of College and University Business Officers
	American Association of School Administrators		National Association of Student Aid Administrators
	American Association of State Colleges and Universities		National Collegiate Athletic Association
	American Library Association		National Cooperative Education Association
	Associated Collegiate Press		North American Association of Summer Sessions
	Association for General and Liberal Studies		North Carolina Association of Instituational Research
	Association for Institutional Research		North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
	Assocation for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)		North Carolina Association of Student Aid Administrators
	Association of College Administration Professionals		North Carolina Cooperative Education Association
	Association of Teacher Education Institutions		North Carolina Association of Summer Sessions
	Carolinas Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admissions Officers		North Carolina Library Association
	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)		North Carolina Student Information System
	College Entrance Examination Board		Society for College and University Planning
	Colleges and University Systems Exchange (Cause)		Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
	Intercollegiate Press		Southern Association of College and University Business Officers
	Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)		Southern Association of Libraries
	Mathematics Association of America		Southern Association of Student Aid Administrators
			Student Information System Users