Accreditation Standards

The institution’s mission defines its distinctive character, provides direction for institutional activities, and forms the basis for institutional planning, resource allocation, assessment, and improvement. The institution has a system of governance, internal and at the Board level, that facilitates the accomplishment of its mission, provides for effective planning and evaluation, and supports institutional improvement and innovation. The institution has sufficient autonomy and control of its programs and operations to be held accountable for meeting the Commission’s Standards for Accreditation.

The institution’s academic program and student services are consistent with and serve to fulfill its mission and purposes. The institution works systematically and effectively to plan, provide, oversee, evaluate, improve, and assure the quality and integrity of its academic programs and credits and degrees awarded, as well as its student services and co-curricular programs. The institution supports teaching and learning through a well-qualified faculty and academic staff, who, in structures and processes appropriate to the institution, collectively ensure the quality of instruction and support for student learning. The institution sets a standard of student achievement appropriate to the degree or certificate awarded and develops systematic means to demonstrate how and what students are learning and to use the evidence provided to improve the academic program.

The institution has and maintains sufficient human, financial, information, physical, and technological resources and capacity to support its mission wherever and however its academic programs are offered. Through periodic evaluation, the institution demonstrates that its resources are sufficient to sustain the quality of its educational program and to support institutional improvement now and on an ongoing basis. The institution demonstrates, through internal and external evidence, its financial capacity to graduate its entering class. The institution administers its resources in an ethical manner that assures effective systems of enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, and internal controls.

The institution demonstrates its educational effectiveness and the success of all students by ensuring appropriate levels of student achievement on mission-appropriate student outcomes. Based on sustained, evidence-based reflection and study, the institution employs comprehensive quality assurance processes to demonstrate and continually improve institutional effectiveness and student learning and success.

Through its commitment to ethical practices, transparency, and accountability, the institution upholds high standards in all its operations. It provides accurate, timely, and accessible information to all constituents, including the public and the Commission.