The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States, founded in 1895. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States. The headquarters of the organization is in Chicago, Illinois. The United States Department of Education recognizes the commission as an institutional accreditor.
IU Northwest is part of the Open Pathway. It is designed for institutions that have completed at least one pathway cycle and are otherwise eligible to choose their pathway. It supports the pursuit of innovative or strategic improvement projects, known as Quality Initiatives. Institutions undergo a virtual review in Year 4 and a comprehensive evaluation in Year 10.
To make determinations about accreditation, the Commission has established the Criteria for Accreditation, standards of quality that institutions are expected to address. The Criteria emerge out of a set of guiding values that are grounded in shared tenets of the academic community. The five criteria are listed below. A complete list of the following criteria with their core components can be found on the HLC Website.
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 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. Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness
The institution’s resources, structures, and processes are sufficient to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational offerings, and respond to future challenges and opportunities. The institution plans for the future.
To maintain our accreditation, IU Northwest must demonstrate that we are meeting the five Criteria AND all of the Core Components. From the HLC Criteria for Accreditation: “The institution meets the Criterion only if all Core Components are met. The institution must be judged to meet all five Criteria for Accreditation to merit accreditation.”
We must also assure to the HLC that IU Northwest policy and practice adheres to a set of articulated minimum expectations (called “Assumed Practices”) that all institutions must comply with as a practical matter. These are not mission-driven or open to individual institutional interpretation as the Criteria are; rather, these are expected practices that each institution must demonstrate.
Another undertaking is the Federal Compliance Program. Some of the topics addressed in the Federal Compliance Program include credits and program length, student complaints, transfer policies, Title IV, advertising and recruitment, relationships with state entities, and third-party comment. The HLC site visit team will conduct an audit to ensure that IU Northwest meets the requirements outlined in the Federal Compliance Program.
