Higher Learning Commission

HLC’s Board of Trustees took the following actions at its meeting on February 25, 2022:

Proposed Policies

The Board approved the following proposed policy and bylaw changes on first reading. HLC invites comments on these proposals before the Board takes final action on second reading in June 2022. Comments should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 20, 2022.

• Corporate Formalities
  The proposed bylaw change would formalize the role of Treasurer as a corporate officer, provide that HLC’s President may appoint other employees to serve as a corporate officer, and would generally clarify language related to election, resignation and removal of officers.
• Grounds for Certain Adverse Actions
  The proposed policy changes would standardize the grounds for denial or withdrawal of candidacy and withdrawal of accreditation. The changes also would establish that certain additional Board procedures are not applicable in situations where the Board's withdrawal of candidacy or accreditation occurs because an institution has ceased to operate as an institution of higher education or has lost its legal authorization to operate as an institution of higher education and to grant degrees in HLC’s jurisdiction.
• Institutional Practices for Verification of Student Identity and Protection of Student Privacy
  The proposed policy change would clarify that institutions’ obligations to use processes that protect student privacy go beyond the narrow context of student identity verification in distance and correspondence-education offerings. The proposed change would align HLC policy more closely with federal regulations.
• Board of Trustees Nominations Process
  The proposed bylaw change would modify the process for nominating trustees to serve on HLC’s Board of Trustees. Under the current process, a Nominating Committee comprised of individuals from member institutions provides a pool of nominees to a committee of Board members, who develop a slate of nominees to stand for election. The proposed change would simplify the process such that the Board committee would serve as the nominating committee.
• Public Member Representation on the Institutional Actions Council
  The proposed policy changes would codify that, per federal regulations, every HLC decision-making body, including individual committees of the Institutional Actions Council (IAC), must have one public member for every seven committee members.
• Publication of Policies on Transfer of Credit
  Federal regulations provide that an institution’s policies related to transfer of credit must disclose certain information. The proposed policy change would ensure that the minimum requirements imposed by federal regulation are required to be included in an institution’s policies related to transfer of credit.
• Student Achievement and Other Data Reporting
  The proposed policy changes would identify what data must be disclosed by all institutions; take into account the relevance of mission-specific data in the context of student achievement; conform language in policy with instructions appearing in HLC’s Federal Compliance and Institutional Update materials; and reinforce HLC’s expectations that underperforming institutions will develop effective strategies to continuously improve.
• Substantive Change Policy and Review Processes
  The proposed policy changes would articulate the purpose of HLC’s substantive change review and approval process, specify substantive change requirements for institutions under a provisional certification with the U.S. Department of Education, and clarify procedures related to desk reviews and approval by HLC staff of certain substantive change requests.

Adopted Policies

The Board adopted the following policy and bylaw changes on second reading. The policies are effective immediately.

• Accelerated Process for Initial Accreditation
  So long as an institution meets all other qualifications articulated in the policy, the adopted changes permit an institution that, in its current form, is institutionally accredited by a state entity that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an institutional accreditor of degree-granting institutions of higher education to be considered for accelerated initial accreditation. Additionally, the changes clarify that nothing in HLC policy nor federal regulations requires HLC to consider any non-member institution for initial accreditation.
• Board of Trustees Term Length
  The adopted bylaw change extends the total possible term length for trustees from eight years to up to 12 years. The change also simplifies the criteria and process for when a trustee may serve additional terms beyond their initial four-year term.
• Decision-Making Options Related to the Assumed Practices and Federal Compliance Requirements
  The adopted changes clarify the decision-making options available when an institution is out of compliance with any Assumed Practice or Federal Compliance Requirement but otherwise in compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation.
• External Consultation
  The adopted changes consolidate existing policies that allow HLC to exercise its discretion in seeking assistance from external experts where appropriate to advance the work of its staff members, peer reviewers and members of HLC decision-making bodies without such external experts participating in any evaluative process.
• Processes for Reaffirmation of Accreditation
  The adopted changes reorganize, consolidate and clarify policies related to processes for Reaffirmation of Accreditation and the Standard and Open Pathways. The changes also revise the meaning of Reaffirmation of Accreditation and extend the maximum timeframe for reaffirmation.
• Recognized Accreditors
  The adopted changes standardize the use of the phrase “recognized accreditor” to refer to those accreditors “recognized by either the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.”

EVOLVE Strategic Plan Update

The Board reviewed the latest progress report on HLC’s strategic plan goals. Highlights include the recent launch of a Differential Accreditation Advisory Committee to establish a plan to implement differential accreditation, and the upcoming 2022 HLC Annual Conference, which will be offered as a multi-channel event for the first time.

Institutional Actions

The Board took action on a number of institutions. These actions are available on the February 2022 Recent Actions page.

Next Meeting

The Board’s next meeting will be held on June 23–24, 2022.