Assurance Filing

In the Assurance Filing section of Canopy, institutional users create and submit materials for:

All comprehensive evaluations, including those for:
Reaffirmation of Accreditation
Standard Pathway Year 4
Candidacy
Initial Accreditation
Probation
Show-Cause
Open Pathway mid-cycle Assurance Reviews
Biennial evaluations of candidate institutions
Preliminary peer reviews of institutions in the Accelerated Process for Initial Accreditation

Sunsetting HLC’s Assurance System: The Assurance Filing section in Canopy replaces HLC’s stand-alone Assurance System for any evaluations listed above that will take place on or after September 1, 2025. Evaluations occurring before that date will still be conducted using the Assurance System. The stand-alone system will be sunset in fall 2025. See Assurance Filings Moving to Canopy for additional details about this transition.

Access to the Assurance Filing

Institutions will gain access to their Assurance Filing in Canopy when one of the evaluations listed above is scheduled by HLC. For institutions on the Standard and Open Pathways, this will occur approximately two years before their Year 4 or Year 10 evaluation.

Navigating to the Assurance Filing in Canopy

Creating a New Assurance Filing

Access for Contributors, Accreditation Liaison Officers and Chief Executive Officers

Assurance Filing Sections and Instructions

Contributors

This section lists the individuals working on the institution’s Assurance Filing. All contributors can view this section, but only coordinators can add new contributors or edit existing contributor information.

Managing Contributors (Users)

Evidence File

This section is where contributors can see documents provided by HLC, upload their own documents and add links to certain resources for use in the Assurance Argument. All contributors can view this section, but only coordinators and editors may add, edit or delete evidence.

Managing the Evidence File

Assurance Argument

This is where contributors enter and review their Assurance Argument narrative and upload any required forms for additional review components, such as a Federal Compliance Filing. All contributors can view this section, but only coordinators and editors may add, edit or delete content.

Assurance Argument Instructions

Additional Review Components (Forms)

Supplemental Guide for the Accelerated Process for Initial Accreditation

Locking the Assurance Filing

Addendum

This section is where the peer review team requests additional documents from the institution, if necessary, after the evaluation has begun. If the team requests documents, the primary or assistant coordinators will be able to upload the requested files to the addendum while the rest of the Assurance Filing remains locked to editing.

Instructions for uploading files to the addendum will be available by August 2025.