Staff Authority

Staff Authority for Certain Actions Related to an Institution’s Relationship With HLC

HLC staff have authority to take the following actions:

1. Make non-substantive changes to an institution’s record, including an institution’s Statement of Accreditation Status.
2. Change an institution’s stipulations in a manner consistent with changes that have been approved by an HLC decision-making body.
3. Change the due date of an institution’s 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.
4. Expand the focus of an assigned interim report to include additional related topics.
5. Expand the focus of an assigned focused visit to include additional related topics or new topics.
6. Accept interim reports or require follow-up interim reports on the same topic or related topics.
7. Accept reports regarding institutional data.
8. Accept evaluations from monitoring of substantive change.
9. Accept Open Pathway Year 4 Assurance Reviews.
10. Suspend or remove an institution from the Notification Program for Additional Locations.
11. Approve the participation of additional teach-out agreements in a teach-out arrangement after IAC has approved the provisional plan associated with those teach-out agreements.
12. Approve the participation of an HLC member as a teach-out receiving institution in a teach-out arrangement for a non-HLC member institution.

Staff Authority to Recommend Actions to an HLC Decision-Making Body

HLC staff may recommend the following actions to an HLC decision-making body, typically the Institutional Actions Council (IAC):

1. Make substantive changes to an institution’s record, including an institution’s Statement of Accreditation Status and stipulations.
2. Change the date of an institution’s upcoming evaluations or filing of reports by more than one year or beyond the maximum ten years required for a comprehensive evaluation.
3. Add new requirements for interim monitoring, other than as provided above.

An institution is provided an opportunity to submit an institutional response prior to the recommended action being considered by the decision-making body.

President’s Authority

The HLC president has additional authority beyond that afforded other HLC staff. The president may act to terminate, postpone or cancel a report or 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 IAC for routine monitoring following HLC policies. The president may schedule special monitoring for an institution consistent with HLC policy and may act to require routine monitoring immediately following the conclusion of any special monitoring without first seeking the approval of a decision-making body. The president may impose and remove the status of Administrative Probation in accordance with HLC policies. The president may make a recommendation directly 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 evidence supporting such recommendations under these policies. Finally, the president 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 2025
First Adopted: June 2011
Revision History: November 2012, June 2020, February 2021, February 2024, February 2025
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.”