HLC Accreditation
HLC stands for the “Higher Learning Commission.” HLC has agreed to fulfill specific federally defined responsibilities within the accreditation processes to assure quality in higher education for the students who benefit from federal financial aid programs.
Accreditation is a universally acknowledged standard of institutional quality. Specifically, HLC sets out five criteria, which demonstrate institutional effectiveness. The five criteria are:
- Mission;
- Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct;
- Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support;
- Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement;
- Institutional Effectiveness, Resources, and Planning
Accreditation by HLC provides assurance to the public that the College has met the established criteria, and the evidence indicates that the College will continue to meet them. Jefferson was first accredited by HLC in 1969 and has continued to receive reaffirmation of accreditation for the maximum 10 years since that time.
Reaffirmation of accreditation is important! For example:
- Students will be assured that they are receiving a high quality education.
- Students will continue to have the opportunity to apply for federal financial aid, such as Pell grants.
- Jefferson College transfer courses will continue to be accepted by other colleges.
Year 4 Assurance Review
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a universally acknowledged standard of institutional quality. Specifically, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) defines five Criteria for Accreditation, which demonstrate institutional effectiveness. The five Criteria are:
- Mission;
- Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct;
- Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support;
- Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement;
- Institutional Effectiveness, Resources, and Planning
Accreditation by HLC provides assurance to the public that the College has met the established criteria, and the evidence indicates that the College will continue to meet them. Jefferson was first accredited by HLC in 1969 and has continued to receive reaffirmation of accreditation for the maximum 10 years since that time.
Why is accreditation important to Jefferson College and its students?
Reaffirmation of accreditation is important! For example:
- Students will be assured that they are receiving a high quality education.
- Students will continue to have the opportunity to apply for federal financial aid, such as Pell grants.
- Jefferson College transfer courses will continue to be accepted by other colleges.
What is the Year 4 Assurance Review?
The following steps make up the Assurance Review:
- The institution prepares an Assurance Filing that demonstrates it is in compliance with HLC requirements. The filing is comprised of an Assurance Argument, Evidence File, and other materials, as applicable.
- A team of peer reviewers evaluates the institution’s Assurance Filing. The outcome of this review is a recommendation as to whether the institution is in compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation and other HLC requirements.
- A decision-making body reviews the institution’s documentation and the recommendation from the peer review team and takes an official action.
When is Jefferson College’s Year 4 Assurance Review?
The HLC Peer Review Team will review Jefferson College’s Assurance Argument in June 2023. This will be a virtual review.
Peer Review Team
HLC Peer Review Teams are volunteers of approximately 1,600 faculty, administrators, and staff who are currently employed by or recently retired from colleges and universities in the United States. They are responsible for assuring that an institution is complying with the accreditation criteria as well as for helping an institution advance within the context of its own mission.
Information listed above was adapted from https://www.hlcommission.org/ (May 2023)
Learn About HLC
What is HLC?
HLC stands for the “Higher Learning Commission.” The HLC mission is, “Advance the common good through quality assurance of higher education as the leader in equitable, transformative, and trusted accreditation in the service of students and member institutions.” HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the United States. HLC is an institutional accreditor, accrediting the institution as a whole.
Criteria for Accreditation
The Criteria for Accreditation are the standards of quality by which the Higher Learning Commission determines whether an institution merits accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation. When you click the link above, there are five Criteria for Accreditation, detailed followed by the Core Components that clarify how an institution can meet the standards.
Assumed Practices
Foundational to the Criteria and Core Components is a set of practices shared by institutions of higher education in the United States. Unlike the Criteria for Accreditation, these Assumed Practices are (1) generally matters to be determined as facts, rather than matters requiring professional judgment and (2) not expected to vary by institutional mission or context.
Guiding Values
The Higher Learning Commission’s Criteria for Accreditation reflect a set of Guiding Values. HLC articulates these Guiding Values so as to offer a better understanding of the Criteria and the intentions that underlie them. The responsibility for assuring the quality of an institution rests first with the institution itself. Institutional accreditation assesses the capacity of an institution to assure its own quality and expects it to produce evidence that it does so.
Open Pathway Overview
Jefferson College has chosen the “Open Pathway” option for maintaining its accreditation with HLC. The link above will share more information about the policies, procedures, monitoring, and other steps involved in the Open Pathway process.
Quality Initiative
The Open Pathway requires an institution to designate one major improvement effort it has undertaken during its 10-year accreditation cycle as its Quality Initiative. The Quality Initiative takes place between years 5 and 9 of the 10-year Open Pathway cycle. Jefferson College focused on Attendance Tracking as its first Quality Initiative between 2014 and 2018. To learn more about the Quality Initiative requirements and process, please click on the link above.
Components of a Comprehensive Evaluation
For all institutions, a comprehensive evaluation includes the following components:
Assurance Review to demonstrate the institution’s compliance with HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation
Information listed above was adapted from https://www.hlcommission.org/ (May 2023)
Things to Know
Jefferson College Mission Statement
HLC President’s Extended Cabinet Presentation
Higher Learning Commission Reports:
