SACSCOC Reaffirmation 2025

SACSCOC Reaffirmation 2025

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A WORD ON THE
DECENNIAL REVIEW

Institutional accreditation seeks to ensure our constituents and public that the university meets acceptable levels of quality and operates with integrity. This is accomplished through regular internal and external review processes that cycle through 10-year periods and include evaluation against a common set of standards. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) granted The University of Alabama (UA) accreditation in 1897. UA is currently in the process of certifying compliance with the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement for the decennial review.

This process is expected to culminate with reaffirmation in December 2025. The reaffirmation process includes:

  • Internal examination of compliance in preparation for an Off-Site Review (Compliance Certification due September 2024)
  • Preparation of a Quality Enhancement Plan and additional reports (if necessary) for On-Site Review (due January 2025)
  • Completion of responses (if necessary) for SACSCOC Board of Trustees review (due June/July 2025)

Are you ready for Reaffirmation?

A WORD ON THE
DECENNIAL REVIEW

Institutional accreditation seeks to ensure our constituents and public that the university meets acceptable levels of quality and operates with integrity. This is accomplished through regular internal and external review processes that cycle through 10-year periods and include evaluation against a common set of standards. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) granted The University of Alabama (UA) accreditation in 1897. UA is currently in the process of certifying compliance with the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement for the decennial review.

This process is expected to culminate with reaffirmation in December 2025. The reaffirmation process includes:

  • Internal examination of compliance in preparation for an Off-Site Review (Compliance Certification due September 2024)
  • Preparation of a Quality Enhancement Plan and additional reports (if necessary) for On-Site Review (due January 2025)
  • Completion of responses (if necessary) for SACSCOC Board of Trustees review (due June/July 2025)

Are you ready for Reaffirmation?

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONTACT US

Institutional Effectiveness

To contact OIE, you may either send an email or reach us by phone. Contact information for a specific staff member, is available on the OIE Staff page.

  • 2844 Capital Hall
  • Box 870173
  • 205-348-2748
  • 205-348-7208

uNIVERSITY-WIDE HABITS FOR SACSCOC COMPLIANCE

MAINTAIN good habits that ensure quality

  • Operate with integrity
  • Follow established policies and procedures
  • Deliver programs/services that support the UA mission and strategic plan
  • Track and evaluate the effectiveness of programs, services, and resources
  • Strive to continuously improve student learning and success

DOCUMENT as you go for transparency and sustainability

  • Keep minutes from departmental/committee meetings
  • Maintain and review approvals/agreements
  • Use institutional forms and channels to submit proposals/requests
  • Document evidence of important decisions/changes and the rationales for them
  • Be consistent with names/rules/explanations across documents and web pages

 

CONTACT UA’s Institutional Accreditation Liaison if you have questions about compliance.

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uNIVERSITY-WIDE HABITS FOR SACSCOC COMPLIANCE

MAINTAIN good habits that ensure quality

  • Operate with integrity
  • Follow established policies and procedures
  • Deliver programs/services that support the UA mission and strategic plan
  • Track and evaluate the effectiveness of programs, services, and resources
  • Strive to continuously improve student learning and success

DOCUMENT as you go for transparency and sustainability

  • Keep minutes from departmental/committee meetings
  • Maintain and review approvals/agreements
  • Use institutional forms and channels to submit proposals/requests
  • Document evidence of important decisions/changes and the rationales for them
  • Be consistent with names/rules/explanations across documents and web pages

 

CONTACT UA’s Institutional Accreditation Liaison if you have questions about compliance.

FAQ

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The Commission also accepts applications for membership from domestic institutions in the other 39 states, as well as international institutions of higher education around the world. The mission of SACSCOC is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions.

Accreditation means a university has:

  • a mission appropriate to higher education
  • the resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission
  • clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers
  • success in achieving its stated objectives.

Being accredited and in good standing with SACSCOC assures our constituents and the public of the quality and integrity of The University of Alabama and its programs. It also allows UA students to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid and ensures transfer of credits among accredited institutions.

Institutional accreditors, formerly called regional accreditors, conduct comprehensive reviews of all aspects of the institution. Specialized accreditors accredit specific educational programs in the same academic area like law, nursing, and counseling.

Every ten years, colleges and universities accredited by SACSCOC must demonstrate their compliance with the standards in the Principles of Accreditation. This process is called reaffirmation of accreditation. It is a process of institutional self-evaluation that culminates in two stages of peer review conducted by senior level faculty and administrators (Peer Evaluators) from other institutions accredited by SACSCOC.

The Compliance Certification is the documentation prepared by the institution that demonstrates its judgement of the extent of its compliance with each of the standards outlined in the Principles of Accreditation.

The SACSCOC requirements are called the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement. They are a list of 73 principles and standards that we need to meet in order to be in full compliance with to receive our reaffirmation of accreditation.

For additional information you can contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. You can also find information on the SACSCOC website and SACSCOC Frequently Asked Questions website.

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FAQ

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The Commission also accepts applications for membership from domestic institutions in the other 39 states, as well as international institutions of higher education around the world. The mission of SACSCOC is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions.

Accreditation means a university has:

  • a mission appropriate to higher education
  • the resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission
  • clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers
  • success in achieving its stated objectives.

Being accredited and in good standing with SACSCOC assures our constituents and the public of the quality and integrity of The University of Alabama and its programs. It also allows UA students to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid and ensures transfer of credits among accredited institutions.

Institutional accreditors, formerly called regional accreditors, conduct comprehensive reviews of all aspects of the institution. Specialized accreditors accredit specific educational programs in the same academic area like law, nursing, and counseling.

Every ten years, colleges and universities accredited by SACSCOC must demonstrate their compliance with the standards in the Principles of Accreditation. This process is called reaffirmation of accreditation. It is a process of institutional self-evaluation that culminates in two stages of peer review conducted by senior level faculty and administrators (Peer Evaluators) from other institutions accredited by SACSCOC.

The Compliance Certification is the documentation prepared by the institution that demonstrates its judgement of the extent of its compliance with each of the standards outlined in the Principles of Accreditation.

The SACSCOC requirements are called the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement. They are a list of 73 principles and standards that we need to meet in order to be in full compliance with to receive our reaffirmation of accreditation.

For additional information you can contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. You can also find information on the SACSCOC website and SACSCOC Frequently Asked Questions website.