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Achieving Accreditation

Institutions may be affiliated with the Commission by gaining accredited status or candidate status.  The Commission determines whether an educational institution is to be considered for accreditation through its Eligibility Process.

All steps to status with the Higher Learning Commission must be completed within the prescribed timeframe. If at any point the timeframe is not met, the institution must restart the process from the beginning. The list below provides an overview of the steps in the process.

Fees apply to steps in the process to achieve accreditation. Institutions should consult the Commission’s current dues and fees schedule. Institutions should contact Lil Nakutis for more information.

The Steps in the Eligibility Process

A.  Pre-Application

1.    Letter of Inquiry

The institution submits a letter to the President of the Commission requesting a Pre-application Interview. The letter appends the required documentation that provides Preliminary Evidence that the institution may meet the Eligibility Requirements. If the evidence is sufficient, the Commission staff schedules the pre-application interview. If the evidence is not sufficient, the Commission will provide a letter to the institution identifying the issues that preclude the scheduling of a pre-application interview. The institution may resubmit within 30 days.

2.    Pre-application Interview

In the interview the institution has the opportunity to seek information regarding the requirements for accreditation in relation to its particular concerns. It is expected that the institution will have attended an eligibility workshop or webinar prior to the interview, so that the interview can focus on the specific circumstances of the institution.  

3.    Post-interview Commission letter

The Commission staff sends a post-interview letter indicating the timing for the next steps in the process, should the institution choose to continue with it.  In that letter, the Commission advises the institution of Eligibility Requirements in regard to which specific concerns have been identified. The Commission staff may counsel the institution that in the opinion of staff the institution is not ready to proceed further with seeking status with the Commission.

4.    Letter of Intent to Submit the Preliminary Information Form (PIF)

If the institution chooses to continue to seek accreditation, it submits to the Commission a letter of intent to complete the Preliminary Information Form (PIF). The institution may submit this letter up to two years after receipt of the post-interview letter from the Commission.

5.    Preliminary Information Form (PIF): Institutional Submission

Within one year of submitting the letter of intent, the institution submits its completed Preliminary Information Form (PIF). Because the Commission reviews PIF submissions only at three set times per year, the institution is advised to take cognizance of the deadlines for submission. The Commission provides assistance for institutions completing the PIF through scheduled workshops and webinars.

In the PIF, the institution must provide evidence that it meets the Eligibility Requirements.

With the PIF the institution includes a written statement signed by the CEO and the Chair of the Board certifying that all the information is truthful and complete and that the institution will begin to abide by the Obligations of Affiliation as soon as it receives permission to schedule an on-site evaluation.

6.    Preliminary Information Form (PIF): Review

Commission staff determines whether the PIF is complete and adequate for review by a panel. If Commission staff determines the PIF is not complete and adequate for review by a panel, staff may provide the institution an opportunity to submit additional items necessary to complete the PIF or may return the PIF to the institution with a letter informing the institution of the issues that preclude review of the PIF. The panel review determines whether the institution appears to have met all the Eligibility Requirements and whether the institution has the capacity and readiness to pursue status with the Commission, specifically to host an evaluation visit for Candidacy. Such a determination can save both the Commission and the institution expense and travail if the institution is not ready for a comprehensive evaluation review. The review panel may request additional information. The institution has up to one year to submit that additional information.

The review panel may decide that the institution does not appear to have met all the Eligibility Requirements and that the institution is not prepared to host an evaluation visit for Candidacy at present.  A negative PIF review explains to the institution why the quantity or quality of evidence presented was judged insufficient to warrant the scheduling of an onsite evaluation for Candidacy.

If the determination is positive, the Commission informs the institution and requests a letter of intent to pursue Candidacy if the institution plans to continue the process of seeking status.  An affirmative PIF review does not predispose onsite evaluation reviewers to any determination, positive or negative, as to whether an institution meets the Eligibility Requirements. The onsite evaluation team will conduct a fresh review of the evidence. Similarly, the evidence presented for a PIF review is only a subset — essential but not complete — of the evidence required for an onsite evaluation team to determine whether the institution merits candidacy.

7.    Letter of Intent to Pursue Candidacy

If the institution chooses to continue to seek status, it submits to the Commission a letter of intent to pursue Candidacy. The institution may submit this letter up to 90 days after the receipt of the Commission letter indicating that the PIF was accepted. On receipt of the letter of intent, the Commission schedules a site visit for Candidacy and assigns a Commission liaison. The site visit must take place within two years of the institution’s receipt of the PIF review letter.

B.  Application

Every non-affiliated institution seeking status with the Commission applies for and serves a period of candidacy. An institution’s submission of a self-study for admission to Candidacy is considered its formal application for Candidacy.  

8.    Completion of the Self-Study and Comprehensive Site Visit for Candidacy

The institution completes a self-study and submits its self-study report at least eight weeks prior to the onsite evaluation, which is to be scheduled no later than two years after the determination on the PIF is made by a panel. It is important that in the intervening time the institution does not undertake any change from the institutional description it submitted in the PIF, such as change in mission, ownership or governance structure, new programs, delivery methods, contractual relationships, and additional locations. Significant change will result in cancellation of any scheduled visit and require re-submission of the PIF and another PIF review by a new panel.

The visiting team determines whether the institution meets all the Eligibility Requirements and the Minimum Expectations within the Criteria and whether it has the capacity to meet the Criteria fully within the four years that is the anticipated duration for Candidate status. The recommendation of the visiting team enters the decision process.

9.    Award and Duration of Candidacy

The Institutional Actions Council conducts a hearing to consider the report and recommendation of the on-site evaluation team. The Institutional Actions Council prepares a report indicating its agreement with the findings and recommendation of the team or providing different findings or recommendation. The record is reviewed by the Commission Board of Trustees, which then renders the final decision to award candidate status or not. The term of candidacy is four years from the date of action by the Commission Board of Trustees. In exceptional circumstances, the Board may offer a fifth year of candidacy to an institution that demonstrates cause for an extension. 

An institution hosts a required on-site biennial evaluation two years after candidacy is granted to determine whether the institution is making reasonable progress toward meeting accreditation requirements by the end of the candidacy period.
An institution that has completed two years of candidacy may file an application for early initial accreditation and host an on-site initial accreditation visit to evaluate the institution for this purpose. The institution will be limited to one application for early initial accreditation during the term of candidacy. If the institution applies for early initial accreditation the Board may grant it or may require the institution to complete the full term of candidacy.

10.    Initial Accreditation

At the end of the four-year candidacy period, an institution will be evaluated for initial accreditation. Initial Accreditation is achieved through a process of self-study, onsite review by a Commission evaluation team, and a hearing by the Institutional Actions Council, with the final decision rendered by the Board of Trustees, as in the process for candidacy. The principal difference is that for initial accreditation the institution must satisfy fully not only the Eligibility Requirements and the Minimum Expectations within the Criteria, but all the Criteria in full. Initial Accreditation requires a comprehensive review for reaffirmation of accreditation within a maximum of five years. If, as a result of the initial accreditation visit, the Board acts to extend the institution’s candidacy for a fifth year, the institution will repeat the visit for initial accreditation during that fifth candidacy year.