Statement of Accreditation Status
as of March 29, 2024
Adrian College
110 S. Madison St.
Adrian, MI 49221-2575
(517) 265-5161
www.adrian.edu
The information on this page describes the accreditation relationship between this institution and the Higher Learning Commission. General information about the Commission and the accreditation process is provided at the end of this document. In addition, links to definitions are provided for many of the terms used.
Accreditation Information
Current status: Accredited
• Action Letter - Continued Accreditation
Accreditation date(s): |
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Most recent reaffirmation of accreditation: 2018 - 2019
Next reaffirmation of accreditation: 2028 - 2029
Upcoming or In-Progress Reviews
Date | Event | Description |
06/30/2024: | Interim Report | General Education, Program Review |
2028 - 2029: | Comprehensive Evaluation | |
Most Recent History With HLC
Date | Event | Description |
08/29/2023: | Assurance Review | Review Completed with Monitoring - Rationale: Adrian College is relying on Rize Education platform and the Lower Cost Models Consortium (LCMC) to deliver a significant percentage of coursework (including majors and minors) to its students. Therefore, the institution is obligated to ensure that the student experience in these courses and programs is high quality and equal to its own standards. The June 30, 2024 due date allows the institution to develop and implement these efforts over the entire upcoming academic year. Adrian College demonstrates a strong commitment on improving student retention. Since 2007, it has had a Registration Committee, with broad and connected membership. It meets weekly, starting before the semester begins and monitors student enrollment status, focusing on attending to and resolving student holds (academic, financial) and other registration issues. In 2020, Adrian College established the Completion, Persistence and Retention Committee (CPRC), a sub-committee of the Assessment Committee. In the Assurance Argument, the institution notes that this committee was created to "support a process of evaluating retention programs across the institution in a systematic way that closely mirrored the existing academic department program review. The committee is cross-divisional, and membership includes faculty, staff from athletics, student life, student billing, and student services, as well as administration, such as the Dean of Enrollment, and is led by the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. Since 2020, the committee has supported program review of STARS [Student Tracking and Retention Success] and the Student Care Team, with a timeline to review all retention programs defined in the handbook, as well as a system of annual review. Additional retention efforts today led by this committee include: several initiatives and programs, close monitoring of academic performance, demographic data, and co-curricular involvement, analysis of NSSE and CIRP data, and additional goals tied to responsible budget forecasting and enrollment management." STARS is the early warning system for first year students, where faculty identify underperforming students in their classes. When identified, students are required to meet with representatives from both academic and student affairs to discuss strategies for improvement. That the CPRC also works to triangulate NSSE and CIRP results is very commendable (and wise). Therefore, no interim monitoring is recommended for Criterion 4C. |
08/11/2021: | Interim Report | Accepted |
11/20/2020: | Monitoring, Non-Financial Indicator | Accepted |
07/13/2020: | Interim Report | Accepted |
01/28/2020: | Interim Report | Accepted with New Monitoring |
11/22/2019: | Monitoring, Non-Financial Indicator | Accepted |
08/26/2019: | Interim Report | Accepted with Continued Monitoring |
01/15/2019: | Comprehensive Evaluation | Reaffirm Accreditation with Monitoring |
01/04/2019: | Monitoring, Non-Financial Indicator | Accepted |
08/08/2018: | Monitoring, Financial Indicator | Waived - Since institution either recently submitted a report or hosted a visit related to finances, or will be submitting a report or hosting a visit related to finances, no further review is required at this time. |
03/26/2018: | Monitoring, Financial Indicator | Accepted with Monitoring |
11/18/2015: | Monitoring, Financial Indicator | |
02/24/2014: | Monitoring, Financial Indicator | Accepted |
05/24/2012: | Focused Visit | Affirmed the team's findings that the institution has addressed the issues related to assessment of student learning, program review, and financial reporting systems |
06/25/2010: | Focused Evaluations - Institution's Request | B to M, new M's program |
General Institutional Information
This section provides brief, general information about the institution’s organization and scope as self-reported by the institution through its annual Institutional Update to HLC.
The U.S. Department of Education publishes a College Scorecard (available at https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/), which allows students to search and compare colleges: their fields of study, costs, admissions, results, and more. Additional information can also be found at nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/.
Please note: All institutions are required to represent themselves accurately and consistently to multiple agencies. However, some information about institutions may appear differently among agencies depending on the timing of the institution's updates to those agencies or those agencies' definitions or standards. Such agencies should be consulted directly for further information. For example, an institution's "Control" (or "Type") may be categorized differently by the U.S. Department of Education for other purposes under its standards.
Control: Private NFP
Degree programs (number in each category): Associates (24), Bachelors (73), Masters (9)
Certificate programs (number offered): 14
Off-Campus Activities (This listing was last updated: 02/24/2022.) The institution’s accreditation includes courses and programs at these approved sites. (This includes sites that are active and inactive (meaning approved but currently without students):
In-State: | Campuses: | None. |
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Additional Locations: | None. | |||
Out-of-State: | Campuses: | None. | ||
Additional Locations: | None. | |||
Out-of-U.S.: | Campuses: | None. | ||
Additional Locations: | None. | |||
Location | Campuses | Additional Locations |
In-State: | None. | None. |
Out-of-State: | None. | None. |
Out-of-U.S.: | None. | None. |
About HLC and Accreditation
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditation agency that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities that are based in the United States.
Institutional accreditation validates the quality of an institution as a whole and evaluates multiple aspects of an institution, including its academic offerings, governance and administration, mission, finances, and resources. HLC’s accreditation includes all degree levels as well as onsite and online course delivery. Institutions of higher education in the United States may also seek accreditation through specialized or programmatic accreditation agencies, which accredit programs, departments or schools within a college or university.
Institutions that HLC accredits are evaluated against its Criteria for Accreditation, a set of standards that institutions must meet to receive and/or maintain accredited status. HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation reflect a set of Guiding Values.
The accreditation process is based on a system of peer review. Approximately 2,000 educators from institutions of higher education serve as HLC peer reviewers conducting accreditation evaluations for other institutions. They make recommendations to HLC’s decision-making bodies, which take final action on institutional evaluations and are made up of both peer reviewers and public members.
Evaluation Process
HLC accreditation assures quality by verifying that an institution (1) meets threshold requirements and (2) is engaged in continuous improvement. In addition, all institutions are required to data annually in the Institutional Update, undergo annual monitoring of financial and non-financial indicators, and adhere to HLC policies and practices, including Assumed Practices and Obligations of Membership.
Decision Making
HLC’s decision-making bodies evaluate and make decisions, called actions, on recommendations from peer review teams that review institutions for their compliance with HLC's Criteria for Accreditation and other requirements. The decision-making bodies are comprised of institutional representatives and public members. See Decision-Making Bodies and Processes for more information.
Public Information
HLC is committed to providing information to the public regarding accreditation decisions made regarding individual institutions.
Actions that are taken by HLC regarding an institution’s accreditation status are disclosed to the public. In cases of reaffirming continued accreditation, placing an institution on or reviewing a sanction, or withdrawing accreditation, the Action Letter issued to the institution is made available for viewing on the institution’s Statement of Accreditation Status, found by searching the institution’s name through HLC’s online directory. Public Disclosure Notices are also issued and posted in the directory in cases of sanction, assigning or removing an institutional designation, resignation of accreditation or candidacy, institutional closing or withdrawal of accreditation by HLC. The PDN provides the public with the most applicable information from the posted Action Letter. HLC decision-making outcomes also are summarized on the HLC Institutional Actions page.
Complaints Against Institutions
HLC has a formal complaint process, consisting of an online complaint form on the HLC website, for faculty, students and other parties to submit information regarding a member institution’s potential non-compliance with HLC requirements. HLC does not accept complaints through mail, email or over the phone. As stated in HLC policy, the complaints process is designed to enable HLC to review, in a timely and fair manner, information that suggests potential substantive non-compliance with an institution’s ability to meet HLC requirements.