Effective Date of Accreditation Actions

The effective date of any accreditation action will be the date the action was taken unless otherwise stated in these policies or other HLC requirements.

The HLC Board of Trustees may grant initial accreditation, with the contingency noted in this subsection, to an institution that applies for accreditation and is determined by HLC to have met the Criteria for Accreditation but has not yet graduated a class of students in at least one of its degree programs, as required by the Eligibility Requirements. Institutions shall have completed the two-year required minimum candidacy period or received a waiver from the Board. Such action shall be contingent on the institution’s graduation of its first graduating class in at least one of its degree programs within no more than 30 days of the Board’s action. In such cases, the effective date of accreditation will be the date of this graduating class.

If the Board takes an adverse action as defined under these policies, the Board shall establish the effective date of such action to be no earlier than the date on which any appeal by the institution is determined to be unsuccessful or, in the event the institution does not appeal, immediately after a conferral of degrees subsequent to the academic term during which the Board takes the adverse action. In establishing the effective date, the Board may also take into account a reasonable period for teach-out as allowed by federal regulations. The Board will take into account any potentially negative impact on current student enrollment prior to determining the effective date of any adverse action. 

Policy History

Last Revised or Edited: February 2026
First Adopted: August 1987
History:* renumbered November 2010; revised February 2012; revised November 2012 (policies combined, see note); revised June 2015; revised November 2015; revised November 2019; revised February 2021; renumbered June 2023 (former policy number INST.B.20.030); edited February 2026
Notes: Policies combined November 2012: 1.1(a)1, 1.1(a)2, 1,1(a)3, 1.4, 2013 – 1.1(a)1.2, 1.1(a)1.3, 1.1(a)1.4.

* In the history, “revised” indicates that the HLC Board of Trustees adopted changes to the policy, and “edited” indicates that HLC staff made technical amendments or minor editorial revisions that did not require formal Board approval.