HLC Initiatives
The Higher Learning Commission regularly looks at the development of practices and programs to advance accreditation as well as benefit member institutions and their students. Items from HLC initiatives will be posted here.
Strategic Plan
HLC’s strategic plan, Beyond the Horizon, identifies the guiding framework for the initiatives the organization will pursue through 2020.
Advocacy Agenda
The 2021 HLC Advocacy Agenda provides a voice for HLC’s strategic directions on higher education issues at the federal and state levels. HLC is committed to representing its member institutions of higher education with a commitment to thought leadership. This commitment extends to providing input on all relevant legislative-, executive-, and judicial-branch issues as they pertain to HLC, accreditation and higher education writ large.
News
More information on items below is available by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Updates on HLC activities also are featured on social media platforms:
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HLC Focuses New Lens on Differential Accreditation
March 17, 2021—HLC is launching a project to pilot differential accreditation by institutional sector. In developing this project, HLC recognizes the growing interest among some colleges and universities for quality indicators such as accreditation standards to be attentive to the interests, needs, aspirations and constraints of the sector in which an institution operates. The agency will look at performing more accreditation activities through multiple lenses.
Press Release on Differential Accreditation Project
HLC Moves to Considering Applications Across the United States
February 25, 2021—HLC the largest historically-regional accreditor, takes the first step toward considering applications from colleges and universities across the United States. Today the HLC Board of Trustees initially approved changes to its Bylaws and policies to expand its geographic area for accreditation to include the entire United States.
Press Release on HLC's Geographic Scope
HLC Signs Letter Supporting International Students
In February 2021, HLC signed a letter from the American Council on Education (ACE) to Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas in support of international college students and their enrollment, visa status, training, and employment in the United States.
HLC Signs Letter to Congress for COVID Relief
HLC joined numerous higher education organizations in a letter to Congress requesting COVID Relief. "The situation currently facing America’s colleges and universities is a crisis of almost unimaginable magnitude. Colleges and universities have already pushed their financial capacities to the limits in addressing this crisis. ... The current situation is unsustainable for an extended period and at this point there are simply no other sufficient options for institutions beyond meaningful federal assistance."
New Federal Regulations for Accreditors
In accordance with the Higher Education Act, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) published new regulations on November 1, 2019, that became effective on July 1, 2020. These regulations include both policy-related and procedural mandates for accreditors. To maintain recognition by the USDE, HLC is required to change a number of policies to align with the new regulations. In addition to mandates, there are many regulatory options in the revised federal regulations that present new opportunities for each accreditors’ consideration. HLC is independently studying the implications of these regulatory options to determine what changes, if any, it will make to its related policies and procedures.
HLC Endorses Statements on Transfer of Credit
HLC has endorsed the following statements that offer guidance for institutions on the transfer and award of credit:
- Statement of Principles on Acceptance of Credit: This statement describes eight principles for managing and evaluating academic credit and assessing student transcripts impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. It was issued by the American Association of Community Colleges, Association of American Universities, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, American Council on Education, and National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
- Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit: This statement offers guidelines and considerations for the development of credit transfer policies. It was issued by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, American Council on Education, and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
HLC Begins Work on Quality Awareness Initiatives to Inform Learners to be Successful Consumers of Higher Education
August 28, 2019—HLC has secured funding to explore new quality assurance approaches that better account for the diversity of educational intentions of today's students. The 16-month program, set to begin this fall, is funded by a $500,000 grant by Lumina Foundation.
