Notice
Policy Number: INST.E.10.010
Notice is a public sanction that attaches to an institution’s accreditation status. The sanction of Notice indicates an overall judgment that the institution is at risk of being out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation. Notice will be supported by a finding that an institution meets with concerns one or more Criteria for Accreditation and, overall, the institution is at risk of being out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation.
The institution remains accredited while it is on Notice. An action to impose Notice is a final action and is not subject to appeal.
Imposition of Notice
Only the Board of Trustees shall take action placing an institution on Notice.
A recommendation from a team of HLC peer reviewers to place an institution on Notice, other than one arising from an advisory visit process, will automatically be referred to an Institutional Actions Council Hearing Committee. The Board will consider both the team recommendation and Institutional Actions Council Hearing Committee recommendations.
The HLC president makes a recommendation for Notice resulting from an advisory visit process directly to the Board.
In all cases, the Board will act on a recommendation to impose Notice only if the institution has been given at least 14 days to submit a written response to the recommendation.
The Board may impose Notice at the end of Probation or Show-Cause if the institution has demonstrated compliance with the areas previously identified as noncompliant but remains at risk related to those areas of noncompliance or other areas.
Length of Notice
The initial Notice period shall not exceed two years, commencing on the date of the Board’s action placing the institution on Notice and concluding with the Board’s determination that Notice should be removed or other action taken.
The initial Notice period shall typically be two years. The initial Notice period may be one year instead of two years if the Board so determines at its discretion.
Review Process While Notice
In placing an institution on Notice, the Board will notify the institution of the specific issues that led to Notice and the next steps as part of Notice.
An institution on Notice will submit a Notice Report demonstrating why it is no longer at risk of being out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation.
The institution will then host a Notice Visit to validate the Notice Report.
The Notice Report and Notice Visit during the Notice period will be conducted following HLC policies and procedures for routine monitoring. (See INST.F.10.010, Routine Monitoring and Data Collection.) At the Board’s discretion, the Notice Report and Notice Visit may be embedded into an institution’s comprehensive evaluation in accordance with HLC policies and procedures.
The team shall recommend whether to remove Notice, specifying any routine monitoring that should be attached to the removal; in the event of ongoing risk of noncompliance, whether to extend Notice; or, in the event the institution is out of compliance, whether to impose Probation, issue a Show-Cause Order or withdraw accreditation.
An institution shall have the opportunity to provide a written response to the written report of a Notice Visit following HLC policies for the provision of institutional responses. An institution shall have at least 14 days to prepare and submit an institutional response to the team report prior to review and action through HLC’s decision-making processes.
Process for Removal of Notice, Including Extension of Notice
Only the Board shall take action to remove Notice.
At the end of an initial Notice period, the Board will review the recommendation of any team and of an Institutional Actions Council Meeting Committee or Hearing Committee, as well as any responses filed by the institution.
If the Board finds that the institution is no longer at risk of being out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation, the Board will remove Notice.
If the Board finds that the institution is now out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation or other HLC requirements, the Board may impose Probation, assign a Show-Cause Order, or withdraw accreditation.
If, at the end of the initial Notice period, the Board finds that the institution remains at risk of being out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation, the Board may extend Notice. Extension of Notice signifies that the institution is making progress but is still at risk of being out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation.
This extension of Notice will be for one year if the institution was initially placed on Notice for one year or for six months if the institution was initially placed on Notice for two years.
At the time that it extends the Notice period, the Board will specify the process by which the institution will be required to provide evidence so that it is no longer at risk of being out of compliance with HLC requirements, either by providing a Notice Report or hosting a Notice Visit.
The panel of HLC peer reviewers that evaluates the Notice Report or the team that conducts the Notice Visit shall recommend whether to remove Notice, specifying any routine monitoring that should be attached to the removal; or, in the event the institution is out of compliance, whether to impose Probation, issue a Show-Cause Order or withdraw accreditation.
The Board will review the recommendation of the panel or team, as well as any response filed by the institution.
At the time the Board reviews the extension of Notice, the Board has the same options for action it had at the end of the initial Notice period, except that no further extension of Notice shall be available.
Pathways Assignment
An institution placed on Notice remains on a reaffirmation Pathway while on Notice. If an institution was on the Open Pathway when placed on Notice, the institution will be placed on the Standard Pathway at the time that it is placed on Notice.
Following the removal of Notice, the institution shall remain on the Standard Pathway until it completes its full 10-year cycle. If at that time the institution’s accreditation is reaffirmed without further sanction, it may be recommended as eligible to choose the Open Pathway if otherwise eligible.
Substantive Change While on Notice
An institution on Notice may file one or more applications for substantive change.
Any application may be denied or deferred by staff or by the Institutional Actions Council until after the Board has removed Notice for any reason as provided in HLC policies, including if the requested change relates to issues identified in the Notice action.
An approval of a substantive change for an institution on Notice is not indicative of a determination by HLC that an institution has corrected the identified areas of concern related to Notice.
Under federal regulations, additional requirements for seeking prior approval for certain substantive changes apply specifically to institutions placed on Notice after July 1, 2020, as well as for three academic years following removal of such Notice. Such additional requirements may be found in HLC’s policies on substantive change (see INST.G.10.010 Substantive Change).
An institution on Notice is not eligible for the Notification Program for Additional Locations and shall be suspended from that program by staff after being placed on Notice and for a period of three years thereafter. If the institution has been placed on Notice for issues related to the quality of the institution’s off-campus instruction or related issues, the institution shall be removed from that program by staff after being placed on Notice and for a period of three years thereafter. Additional information may be found in HLC’s policies on substantive change (see INST.G.10.020 Review of Substantive Change).
Public Disclosure of Notice Actions
A Public Disclosure Notice for an institution on Notice will be available on HLC’s website shortly after, but not more than one business day after, HLC notifies the institution of the action imposing Notice. An institution on Notice must notify its Board members, administrators, faculty, staff, students, prospective students, and any other constituencies about the action in a timely manner not more than seven business days after receiving the action letter from HLC; the notification must include information on how to contact HLC for further information; the institution must also disclose this status whenever it refers to its HLC accreditation.
Policy History
Last Revised: October 2024
First Adopted: June 2000Â
Revision History: February 2011, June 2012, February 2014, June 2017, November 2018, November 2019, June 2020, February 2022; June 2022, November 2022, June 2023, October 2024
Notes: Policies combined November 2012 – 2.5(a), 2.5(a)1, 2.5(a)2. In February 2021, references to the Higher Learning Commission as “the Commission” were replaced with the term “HLC.”Â

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