Number: COMM.B.10.020

Staff Authority for Minor Changes Related to an Institution’s Relationship With HLC

HLC staff may act to change an institution’s Statement of Accreditation Status or recommend directly to the Institutional Actions Council that a change in the Statement of Accreditation Status be approved.

Staff may act to approve the following changes:

1. editing of the Statement of Accreditation Status with non-substantive amendments;
2. changing the date of upcoming evaluations or filing of reports by no more than one year and not to exceed the maximum timeframe for evaluation visits provided in HLC policy;
3. approving interim reports or requiring follow-up reports on the same or related topics; and
4. removing an institution from notification for approval of additional locations.

Staff may recommend to the Institutional Actions Council for review and action the following: substantive amendments to the Statement of Accreditation Status including modifications to the Stipulations section; changing the date of upcoming evaluations or filing of reports by more than one year or beyond the maximum ten years required for a comprehensive evaluation; and new requirements for monitoring.

Staff Authority to Approve Substantive Changes

Staff may act, without first seeking approval of the Institutional Actions Council, to approve the addition of a permanent location at a site at which the institution is conducting a teach-out for students of another institution that has ceased operating before all students have completed their program of study.

Staff Authority to Approve Teach-Out Receiving Institutions 

HLC staff may act to approve the participation of additional teach-out receiving institutions in a teach-out arrangement after IAC approval of the subject Provisional Plan, or the participation of an HLC member as a teach-out receiving institution in a teach-out arrangement required by a non-HLC institution. 

President’s Authority 

The President of the Higher Learning Commission has additional authority beyond that afforded staff under these policies as delineated by the Board. The President of HLC may act to terminate, postpone or cancel a visit in extraordinary circumstances. The President may approve the presence of observers on an evaluation team or other HLC activity. The President may make a recommendation to the Institutional Actions Council for routine monitoring following HLC policies for these actions. The President may schedule Special Monitoring for an institution consistent with HLC policy and may act, without first seeking approval of the Institutional Actions Council, to require routine monitoring immediately following the conclusion of any related process conducted under policies related to Special Monitoring. The President may make a recommendation to the Board for the imposition of a sanction, the extension of a sanction, the issuance of a Show-Cause Order, or withdrawal of candidacy or accreditation based on verified evidence supporting such recommendations under these policies. Finally, the President's authority may be temporarily expanded by the Board under extraordinary circumstances in a manner consistent with these policies and federal regulations.

Policy History

Last Revised: February 2021
First Adopted: June 2011
Revision History: November 2012, June 2020, February 2021
Notes: Former policy number 2.2(h). In February 2021, references to the Higher Learning Commission as “the Commission” were replaced with the term “HLC.”