What is HLC?
HLC is the Higher Learning Commission. It is an accreditation agency that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities across the United States. These colleges are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
What does Accreditation mean?
Accreditation assures quality by verifying that an institution meets established standards and engages in continuous improvement.
HLC’s institutional accreditation covers all degree levels, as well as on-site and online offerings. It validates the quality of an institution’s academic program and evaluates the institution as a whole.
Why is Accreditation important?
Students need courses and degrees that are recognized as coming from a quality institution to aid them in obtaining employment or transferring to another institution.
How does Accreditation help Southern?
The HLC accreditation process allows the college to identify things it is doing well, tell its success stories, and celebrate progress.
The process also helps identify areas needing attention, including establishing specific goals and steps to achieve improvement.
HLC accreditation is necessary for the institution to receive federal funding, including financial aid.
What HLC happenings are occurring at Southern?
Personnel from across the college are involved in a comprehensive self-study and preparing for a site visit from HLC reviewers in Spring 2027.
Why are we having another visit?
Southern is on the Standard Pathway with the Higher Learning Commission. That means we will have a visit every five years.
The Spring visit is a previously scheduled visit and is part of the pathway. Nothing is wrong; it is part of the accreditation process.
Our last routine visit was the Year 10 Reaffirmation of Accreditation, which included a comprehensive evaluation and federal compliance review in 2022.
Our next Year 10 visit will be in 2032.
When is our next visit?
Southern’s Mid-Cycle Visit will be April 12, 2027.
What are they evaluating the college on?
HLC will evaluate the college on four criteria:
- Mission
- Integrity
- Teaching and Learning
- Sustainability
Assumed Practices
HLC also expects institutions to meet all of its “assumed practices” during the visit. Assumed practices are fundamental practices for any college in the United States, and HLC expects all colleges, including Southern, to follow them.
They do not vary by institutional mission.
Key Dates
- May 20, 2026: Rough draft due to Regina Bias
- May 31, 2026: Dr. Dennison’s last day
- June 1, 2026: Dr. Elizabeth Manual begins
- March 15, 2027: Report due to HLC
- April 12, 2027: HLC Peer Team visit
How can you help?
- Participate in a Criterion Team
- Participate in training and presentations
- Ask questions
- Review the visit report
- Keep doing what you’re doing for students
HLC News
The website will also continue to be updated in preparation for the visit.