SACSCOC Overview

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states.

The Commission’s mission is the enhancement of educational quality throughout the region and it strives to improve the effectiveness of institutions by ensuring that institutions meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students.

Components of the Reaffirmation

• Compliance Certification with standards for accreditation
• Off-site peer review of the Compliance Certification
• Preparation of a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
• On-site peer reviews of QEP

Compliance Certification

The Compliance Certification provides extensive evidence (a narrative and supporting documentation) of compliance with the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement (December 2017).

Our peer reviewers working within the SACSCOC expect to see a mature program assessment and administrative assessment along with complete faculty credentials.

Know that the Compliance Certification covers basic, broad-based foundational requirements that institutions must meet to be accredited. The forty-five standards are separated into fourteen sections reflecting basic expectations including:

1. The Principle of Integrity
2. Mission
3. Basic Eligibility Standard
4. Governing Board
5. Administration and Organization
6. Faculty
7. Institutional Planning and Effectiveness
8. Student Achievement
9. Educational Program Structure and Content
10. Educational Policies, Procedures and Practices
11. Library and Learning/Information Resources
12. Academic and Student Support Services
13. Financial and Physical Resources
14. Transparency and Institutional Representation

The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement provides a detailed overview of the current reaffirmation criteria.

Reaffirmation 2020 at Lamar University

The reaffirmation process at Lamar is led by Dr. Kyle Boudreaux, Interim SACSCOC Liaison and Executive Director of the Office of Planning and Assessment. Committees are compiling the evidence and writing the narratives for each of the report sections. We submitted the compliance report in September 2019.

The off-site review took place in November 2019.

We submitted the Focus Report and QEP in February 2020.

The on-site review is delayed to March 2-4, 2021 due to COVID-19.

The fifth year interim report was submitted March 1, 2025.

Program Accreditations / Recognitions