Substantive Changes
Related pages:
Upcoming dates and deadlines
- March 15, 2021: Deadline to submit substantive changes requiring approval by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees in June 2021. Carefully review the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures to determine if the substantive change 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.
- July 1, 2021: Deadline to submit substantive changes to be implemented January 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, 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.
Updates and announcements
- FAQs have been updated to address the revised (2020) substantive change policy.
- The revised (2020) substantive change policy is now available: Substantive Change Policy and Procedures
- New Substantive Change Policy and Procedures: Learn about the new policy and procedures approved in December 2020. This 90-minute video, recorded at the 2020 SACSCOC virtual Annual Meeting, provides an overview of the major new and revised substantive change obligations.
- Policy crosswalk (previous vs. revised policy) [PDF]
- Slides handout/notes [PDF]
- For submissions requiring approval, we caution against sending by U.S. Postal Service. This is due to increasingly long and unreliable deliveries. With all delivery services, delivery confirmation is recommended.
- Monitor the Coronavirus and SACSCOC webpage for new information and developments.
- If the Coronavirus will delay implementation of an approved substantive change more than two years after approval, you may request an extension by submitting an Implementation Extension Request Due to COVID-19.
Substantive change policy and related policies
- Substantive Change for Policy and Procedures [PDF]
- Advertising and Student Recruitment [PDF]
- Agreements Involving Joint and Dual Academic Awards [PDF]
- Direct Assessment Competency-based Educational Programs [PDF]
- Distance and Correspondence Education [PDF]
- Merger/Consolidation, Acquisition, Change of Ownership, and Change Of Governance, Control, Form, or Legal Status [PDF]
- Principles of Accreditation [PDF]
- Seeking Accreditation at a Higher or Lower Degree Level [PDF]
Webinars
The webinar series is designed for liaisons and others with substantive change responsibilities. Webinars are one hour including interactive Q+A. Each webinar address a single topic that often presents challenges in managing an institution’s substantive change obligations. Registration is required for each webinar.
Webinars can be viewed in your browser. The Adobe Connect Meeting app is available but isn’t required; however, the app is recommended for mobile devices. Test your computer/device and network connections before joining a live or on-demand webinar.
Upcoming webinars:
- New topic-specific webinars associated with the revised Substantive Change Policy and Procedures will begin in January 2021. Webinar topics, dates, and times will be posted on this webpage as soon as possible and when scheduled.
- Watch the video introduction to the new policy delivered at the 2020 SACSCOC Annual Meeting; see the links under “Updates and announcements” on this webpage.
On-demand webinars :
New on-demand webinars will be available here after the live events scheduled to start in January 2021.
Documents and Templates
- Substantive Change Cover Sheet [PDF]
- Developing Policy and Procedure Documents [PDF]
- Documentation Templates in Preparation for a Substantive Change Committee Visit to an Institution
- Faculty Roster Form [DOC] and Instruction [PDF]
- Seeking Accreditation at a Higher or Lower Degree Level
- The Accreditation Liaison [PDF]
- Institutional Contingency Teach-out Plan Data Templates [Excel; last updated 12/01/2020]