Relationship Within the Triad

As an institutional accreditor, HLC is one part of the program integrity Triad.

The Triad consists of three areas of oversight for higher education in the United States. One part of the Triad is accreditors. This includes institutional accreditors, like HLC, which review and accredit an entire institution; and programmatic accreditors (sometimes known as specialized accreditors or professional accreditors), which review and accredit individual programs. The other two parts of the Triad are the Federal government and the state in which the institution is located. The parts of the Triad operate independently, each focusing on issues within their individual scope of responsibility.

In order to assure academic quality as part of the Triad, an institutional accreditor has requirements for institutions as a whole and a programmatic accreditor has requirements for a specific program. For example, an institutional accreditor may have requirements regarding transparency to students and the public or regarding financial sustainability, while a programmatic accreditor may have requirements for the curriculum of a program.

To be a member of HLC, colleges and universities provide evidence that they meet HLC requirements.

The college or university’s mission is central to HLC’s accreditation and assurance of academic quality. In determining whether institutions meet HLC requirements, HLC considers the institution’s mission. An accredited institution demonstrates how it meets HLC requirements through a mission-reflective lens.

HLC’s requirements reflect its values of academic quality. These values include academic freedom and freedom of expression in the pursuit of knowledge, as well as providing opportunities for civic engagement in a diverse, multicultural society and globally connected world, as appropriate within an institution’s mission and for the constituencies it serves.

Should any of HLC’s requirements overlap with requirements from other members of the Triad, we work with the other Triad members to identify these situations and limit the burden on the institution.

HLC does not prescribe how a member institution meets HLC’s requirements. If a requirement of another entity of the Triad may appear to limit an institution’s ability to meet HLC’s requirements in a particular manner, an institution has the flexibility within HLC’s requirements to identify other ways to demonstrate it meets HLC’s requirements.

By being recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a gatekeeper agency, HLC agrees to fulfill specific federally defined responsibilities related to accreditation. Each member of the Triad has a role in quality assurance and ensuring transparency to students. For example, the U.S. Department of Education publishes the College Scorecard, which allows students to search and compare colleges: their fields of study, costs, admissions, results and more.