Institutional Accreditation

Six regional bodies accredit degree-granting post-secondary institutions throughout the United States.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — an independent corporation that accredits institutions in the North Central region of the U.S. — is the regional body that accredits all three of the University of Michigan’s campuses on varying cycles. The HLC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The HLC provides several different pathways to reaccreditation. U-M participates in the Open Pathway process, which takes place in ten-year cycles and includes a mid-cycle assurance review, a late-cycle quality initiative, and a culminating comprehensive evaluation. At the end of each ten-year cycle, a visiting team of peer reviewers appointed by the HLC visits campus.

Institutional accreditation assesses the capacity of an institution to assure its own quality and expects it to produce evidence that it does so.

Higher Learning Commission Guiding Values