Policies and Publications

Policies, Guidelines, Good Practices, and Position Statements

In addition to the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, the accreditation standards of the Commission on Colleges, the Commission has four categories of documents: policies, guidelines, good practices, and position statements. For each of the four categories below, the Commission defines the term and lists the documents categorized as such. There is also a link below explaining the recent changes to documents on this page.

For all, the Commission maintains currency on the Web and reserves the right to add, modify, or delete any of the documents listed.

Commission Policies
Commission Guidelines
Commission Good Practices
Commission Position Statements

Definition: A policy is a required course of action to be followed by the Commission on Colleges or its member or candidate institutions. Commission policies may also include procedures, which are likewise a required course of action to be followed by the Commission on Colleges or its member or candidate institutions. The Principles of Accreditation requires that an institution comply with the policies and procedures of the Commission. Policies are approved by vote of the Commission on Colleges. At its discretion, the Commission may choose to forward a policy to the College Delegate Assembly for approval.

The following are categorized as policies of the Commission.

Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies  (Edited Jan 2012)

Agreements Involving Joint and Dual Academic Awards (Revised December 2012) Previously called “Collaborative Academic Arrangements

Appeals Procedures of the College Delegate Assembly of the Commission on Colleges (Edited Jan 2012)

Complaint Procedures Against the Commission or Its Accredited Institutions (Revised June 2012)

Conflict of Interest for Commission Staff  (Edited Jan 2012)

Core Requirement 2.3:Documenting and Alternative Approach (Edited Jan 2012)

Credit Hours  (Edited Jan 2012)

Deadlines for Reports and Profiles  (Edited Jan 2012)

Disclosure of Accrediting Documents and Actions of the Commission on Colleges (Edited Jan 2012)

Distance and Correspondence Education  (Edited Jan 2012)

Dues, Fees and other Expenses  (Revised June 2012)

Enrollment Growth Institutions  (Approved June 2011)

Ethical Obligations of Evaluators  (Edited Jan 2012)

Ethical Obligations of Members of SACSCOC Board of Trustees (Edited Jan 2012)

Governing, Coordinating, and Other State Agencies: Representation on Evaluation Committees(Edited Jan 2012)

Litigation: Institutional Obligations (Revised June 2009)

Mergers, Consolidations, Change of Ownership, Acquisitions, and Change of Governance, Control, Form, or Legal Status (Added Sep 2011)

Mission Statement of the Commission (Edited Jan 2012)

Observers on Reaffirmation On-site Review Committees (Edited Jan 2012)

QEP: Lead Evaluator Nomination Process (Revised Dec 2010)

Quality and Integrity of Undergraduate Degrees (Added Feb 2012)

Reaffirmation of Accreditation and Subsequent Reports (Edited Jan 2012)

Records Maintenance Policy of the Commission on Colleges (Edited Jan 2012)

Reports Submitted for Committee or Commission Review (Edited Jan 2012)

Seeking Accreditation from Another Region (Edited Jan 2012)

Separate Accreditation for Units of a Member Institution (Edited Jan 2012)

Standing Rules: SACSCOC Board of Trustees, Executive Council, and the College Delegate Assembly (Revised June 2012)

Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges (Revised Dec 2012)
( Now contains Policy Statement on Unreported Substantive Change)

Third-Party Comment by the Public  (Edited Jan 2012)

Definition: A guideline is an advisory statement designed to assist institutions in fulfilling accreditation requirements. As such, guidelines describe recommended educational practices for documenting requirements of the Principles of Accreditation and are approved by the Executive Council. The guidelines are examples of commonly accepted practices that constitute compliance with the standard. Depending upon the nature and mission of the institution, however, other approaches may be more appropriate and also provide evidence of compliance.

The following are categorized as guidelines of the Commission:

The Accreditation Liaison (Edited Jan 2012)

Advertising, Student Recruitment, and Representation of Accredited Status  (Edited Jan 2007)

Faculty Credentials  (Adopted Dec 2006)

Guidelines for Addressing Distance and Correspondence Education (Approved Dec 2011)

The Nominating Committee of the Commission on Colleges  (Edited Jan 2007)

Travel and Committees Visits  (Edited Feb 2004)

Definition: Good practices are commonly accepted practices within the higher education community that enhance institutional quality. Good practices may be formulated by outside agencies and organizations and endorsed by the Executive Council or the Commission.

Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs (Endorsed Dec 2000)

Closing a Program, Site, Branch or Institution (Revised Aug 2011)

Developing Policy and Procedures Documents (Adopted June 2010)

Definition: A position statement examines an issue facing the Commission’s membership, describes appropriate approaches, and states the Commission’s stance on the issue. It is endorsed by the Executive Council or the Commission on Colleges.

The following are categorized as position statements of the Commission:

The Impact of Budget Reductions on Higher Education  (Endorsed Mar 2002)

Diversity A Position Statement of the Commission on Colleges (Revised June 2011)