Accreditation

SACSCOC Accreditation

 

Augusta University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Along with the Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, who serves as the institution’s Accreditation Liaison to the SACSCOC, the accreditation staff develops and maintains processes and support materials to assist Augusta University leaders and administrators with ongoing compliance with institutional accreditation standards. Services apply to decennial reaffirmation of accreditation, the Fifth-Year Review, substantive changes, and any special requests from the SACSCOC. Specifically, the division provides the following services:

• Provides guidance to appropriate Augusta University units to ensure they are maintaining documentation to support the case for ongoing compliance when reporting to the SACSCOC is required.
• Communicates changes to the SACSCOC accreditation standards, policies, and guidelines to the appropriate University stakeholders. 

For additional questions related to the SACSCOC accreditation, please email ie@augusta.edu. 

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SACSCOC TOOLKIT - Check Back in Late 2026

The SACSCOC Toolkit is a module within Compliance Assist used to organize, store, and evaluate documentation and information related to the University's compliance with the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation. Approved users of Compliance Assist have access to the Toolkit for submission, review, and validation of information related to their programs or departments.

The Toolkit will be undergoing upgrades in 2025. During this time, access to the SACSCOC Toolkit will be limited to Institutional Effectiveness staff only. 

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SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE POLICY

Augusta University is responsible for maintaining compliance with the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy as a requirement of continued accreditation. A substantive change is defined as "a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution." In accordance with the AU Substantive Change Policy, any changes that are or are suspected to be substantive in nature must be reported to the Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, who is the Institutional Accreditation Liaison (IAL), as soon as possible to determine what, if any, reports must be submitted to the SACSCOC for the substantive change.

Substantive changes are classified by the SACSCOC at two levels: changes requiring notification only and changes requiring approval prior to the implementation of the change by the SACSCOC. Upon being notified of the change, the IAL will work with the unit requesting the change to develop a plan to ensure the required procedures are completed and documentation submitted. The following types of changes may be considered substantive:

• Changes requiring Board of Regents approval or request for substantive change
• Changes that necessitate catalog revisions
• Changes that involve instruction at new locations or via new modalities
• Changes that necessitate a contractual agreement or involve a new organization.
• Changes that involved ceasing admissions to a program, locaton, or modality

If you have any questions or need to report a possible substantive change, please email ie@augusta.edu.

For more information, please consult the Augusta University Substantive Change Policy or the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy.

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AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY REAFFIRMATION DOCUMENTS

Augusta University's accreditation was reaffirmed by the SACSCOC on December 6, 2016. The University submitted the Fifth Year Report in Spring 2022, including an impact report on the Quality Enhancement Plan. The next reaffirmation of the University's accreditation will take place in 2026.