Substantive Changes
Updates and announcements
- The SACSCOC Board of Trustees approved revisions to the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures [PDF] in March 2023. All changes are related to the new federal Prison Education Program (PEP). Reload your browser to ensure you are reading the most recent version. An annotated redline [PDF] version of the March 2023 revision is available. (The redline version is also appended to the end of the policy.)
- The federal Prison Education Program (PEP) creates substantive change obligations for participating SACSCOC institutions. All current requirements are reflected in the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures as of March 2023.
- In addition to the substantive change policy, publicly available support materials from multiple sources have been assembled for your reference.
- The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has created a Prison Education Program Question and Answers webpage.
- A live webinar on the PEP substantive change policy is scheduled for Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 11 a.m. ET. Register to attend live or watch on-demand afterwards.
- Additional PEP federal regulations were published on March 28, 2023. SACSCOC staff will assess the additional regulations and determine if further policy and/or procedure changes are necessary.
- Reminders:
- Substantive changes cannot be submitted by email to the President or to staff members.
Upcoming dates and deadlines
- July 1, 2023: Deadline to submit substantive changes to be implemented January 1, 2024, through June 30, 2024, requiring notification or requiring approval by the Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. Refer to the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures for guidance for a specific substantive change type.
Note: All submissions should be submitted through the Institutional Portal.
- September 1, 2023: Deadline to submit substantive changes requiring approval by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees in December 2023. Carefully review the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures to determine if a substantive change type or the institution’s status (viz., sanction) requires Board approval at a regularly scheduled biannual meeting or if the change can be approved by the Executive Council of the Board. See also “Board review pathways” and “Off-campus Instructional Site Approval” by extensive review in the substantive change policy.
Note: All submissions should be submitted through the Institutional Portal.
Substantive change policy and related policies
Webinars
Upcoming webinars:
- Prison Education Program (PEP): New Policy Requirements
Thursday, April 6, 2023, 11:00 AM – Noon ET
The federal Prison Education Program provides Pell Grant access to confined or incarcerated students. Federal regulations released in October 2022 are incorporated into SACSCOC’s Substantive Change Policy as of March 2023. This webinar addresses the new policy requirement and the procedures for implementation. (Note: This webinar replaces the January 18, 2023, preliminary review of the PEP as the policy revisions were in-process; additional federal regulations are expected.)
Register
- Sign-up to receive a one-time email when when a new webinar is open for registration.
On-demand webinars :
- Good Practices for Substantive Change Submissions – Part 1 [Zoom] and handout [PDF]. (Recorded October 20, 2022)
- Good Practices for Substantive Change Submissions – Part 2 [Zoom] and handout [PDF]. (Recorded November 10, 2022)
- New Substantive Change Policy Video [Vimeo] and handout [PDF] (Recorded at the SACSCOC Annual Meeting, December 2020)
- Off-campus Instructional Site Approvals [Vimeo] and handout [PDF]. This webinar covers the approval criteria and process — including the new extensive review and limited review pathways — for off-campus instructional sites / additional locations. (Recorded June 4, 2021)
- Preparing an Off-campus Instructional Site Prospectus for Approval by Extensive Review [Zoom] and handout [PDF]. This webinar provides guidance for preparing an extensive review (versus a limited review) prospectus for new off-campus instructional sites / additional locations. (Recorded January 20, 2022)
- Substantive Change Restriction [Vimeo] and handout [PDF]. This webinar covers the new Substantive Change Restriction status that creates additional or different substantive change requirements for institutions meeting defined criteria. (Recorded June 18, 2021)
- Understanding the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy: Off-campus Instructional Sites [YouTube] and handout [PDF]. (Recording courtesy Tennessee Accreditation Network; recorded April 29, 2022.) You’ll learn what constitutes an off-campus instructional site (OCIS) / additional location, what sites require approval (versus notification or no action), requirements and process for approvals by extensive review and by limited review, and when and how a teach-out plan should be submitted.
Documents and Templates
