Higher Learning Commission - Next Visit

Accreditation provides assurance that an institution has been found to meet, and will continue to meet, stated requirements and criteria. Accreditation also allows the institution to self-reflect towards continuous improvement.

Accreditation is the process whereby an outside organization certifies a college or university as meeting certain requirements of excellence. Accreditation is an important “stamp of approval.” Accredited colleges and universities have proven to their peers that they are deeply committed to educational quality and improvement.

Only accredited institutions are eligible to receive federal funds for higher education, including student financial aid and research funds. Accreditation also ensures students the ability to transfer credits between accredited schools, and some graduate schools only accept students with degrees from accredited schools. 

There are many good reasons to attend an accredited institution. Here are a few of them:

• Quality education: accredited colleges and universities deliver high-quality educational programs
• Financial aid: accredited schools receive federal student financial aid dollars
• Transfer: most schools will only accept transfer credits from an accredited school
• Graduate school: most graduate programs will only accept students with degrees from accredited schools

The University of Toledo most recently received continued accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission in 2022. The University of Toledo first earned accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in 1922. Since that time, the University has maintained a history of accreditation and engagement with the HLC.  Accreditation was continued in 1977, 1983, 1992, and 2002. The Medical College of Ohio first gained accreditation in 1980, with accreditation continued in 1986, 1991, and 2001. A focused visit to approve the merging of these two institutions was approved in 2007 and accreditation has been continued/reaffirmed in 2012 and 2016.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the United States.

The most recent site visit was completed on November 8 and November 9, 2021.  For information on this visit, please see https://www.utoledo.edu/hlc/news.html.  The next comprehensive evaluation will take place in 2031-2032.

Under the HLC’s Open Pathway, institutions follow a 10-year cycle focused on quality assurance and institutional improvement. Regular monitoring occurs, along with a mid-cycle Assurance Review and completion of a Quality Initiative project.  At the end of the cycle, institutions undergo a comprehensive evaluation, which includes a campus visit.  The purpose of the campus visit is to validate claims made in the institution’s Assurance Filing (Assurance Argument and Evidence File), to evaluate the required improvements made by the institution, and to compare those materials with what the team finds during planned activities while on site.  All comprehensive evaluations include a review of whether the institution meets the Federal Compliance Requirements. In addition, comprehensive evaluations include a Multi-Campus Report and visits to branch campuses, as applicable.

While we often refer to it as a “self-study,” we will actually submit an Assurance Filing made up of an Assurance Argument that has links to materials in an Evidence File. The Assurance Argument is organized by the Criteria and their Core Components. 

An Assurance Review is conducted by itself at Year 4 of the review cycle, and as part of the comprehensive evaluation that occurs in Year 10. UToledo’s next Assurance Filing will be due at the end of March, 2026.

The Criteria listed below went into effect on September 1, 2020.

• Criterion One.  Mission
  The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations.
• Criterion Two. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
  The institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.
• Criterion Three. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support
  The institution provides high quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered.
• Criterion Four. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement
  The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.
• Criterion Five.  Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning
  The institution’s resources, structures, processes and planning are sufficient to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational offerings, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

In accordance with policy, the HLC is currently reviewing its Criteria for Accreditation to determine if changes are required.  Any changes will be reviewed by the Board and there will be opportunity for comments from stakeholders.  If changes are adopted, the new Criteria would go into effect starting September, 2025.