Candidacy and Initial Accreditation

An institution seeking accredited status with HLC through the Eligibility Process shall apply for and serve a period of candidacy. Such candidacy shall typically be for four years from the date action is taken to grant candidacy to the date action is taken to grant or deny accreditation, with a minimum candidacy period of at least two years (2 years), and not to exceed five years (5 years).  

An institution seeking accredited status with HLC through the Accelerated Process for Initial Accreditation shall not serve a period of candidacy. 

In exceptional circumstances, in addition to those institutions participating in the accelerated process for initial accreditation, the Board may in its discretion also waive the required candidacy period for other institutions. Such waiver will be based upon evidence that the institution meets all HLC requirements, but such evidence shall not obligate the granting of a waiver of a candidacy period. 

Grant of Candidacy  

The Board of Trustees will review an institution’s application for candidacy and all related materials after the institution has undergone a comprehensive evaluation, as detailed below, and an Institutional Actions Council hearing. The Board of Trustees may grant or deny candidacy.  

Evaluative Framework for Achieving and Maintaining Candidacy  

The requirements for granting and maintaining candidacy are as follows: 

1. the institution meets each of the Eligibility Requirements; 
2. the institution meets each of the Assumed Practices; 
3. the institution demonstrates that the Criteria for Accreditation can reasonably be met within four years of candidacy; and 
4. the institution meets the Federal Compliance Requirements. 

Grant of Initial Accreditation 

The Board of Trustees will review an institution’s application for initial accreditation and all related materials after the institution has undergone a comprehensive evaluation, as detailed below. The Board of Trustees may grant or deny initial accreditation. If the Board of Trustees grants initial accreditation, it may grant such accreditation subject to interim monitoring, restrictions on institutional growth or substantive change, or other contingency. 

Early Initial Accreditation 

An institution may request a review for early initial accreditation after two or three years of candidacy. The Board of Trustees shall have the discretion to continue candidacy, instead of granting early initial accreditation, in circumstances including, but not limited to, the following: if the Board determines that one or more of the Core Components are not met or met with concerns (and thus recommendation for early initial accreditation would be conditioned on the imposition of a sanction or the scheduling of interim monitoring); or in other circumstances where the Board concludes that a continuation of candidacy is warranted.  

The institution will be limited to one review for early initial accreditation during the term of candidacy.  

Evaluative Framework for Achieving Initial Accreditation  

The requirements for granting initial accreditation are as follows:  

1. The institution meets each of the Eligibility Requirements.  
2. The institution meets each of the Assumed Practices.  
3. The institution meets the Criteria for Accreditation. In order to successfully complete a review for early initial accreditation, an institution must meet the Criteria for Accreditation with no findings of Met with Concerns.  
4. The institution meets the Federal Compliance Requirements.  

Extension of Candidacy  

In exceptional circumstances, the Board of Trustees may extend candidacy to a fifth year.  

Actions to continue candidacy, thereby denying early initial accreditation, or to extend candidacy to a fifth year, thereby denying initial accreditation, are not adverse actions and thus are not subject to appeal. 

Evaluations Related to Granting Candidacy and Initial Accreditation 

Candidacy will be initiated through a comprehensive on-site evaluation and maintained through a subsequent on-site biennial evaluation no later than two years (2 years) after candidacy is granted to determine whether the institution continues to meet the Eligibility Requirements and Assumed Practices, and is making reasonable progress towards meeting the Criteria for Accreditation by the end of its candidacy. Following the biennial evaluation, the institution will have its comprehensive evaluation for initial accreditation during the fourth year of candidacy in sufficient time for the Board to consider the outcome prior to the conclusion of the fourth year of candidacy. If, as a result of the initial accreditation visit, the Board acts to extend the institution’s candidacy for a fifth year, the institution will undergo a new comprehensive evaluation for initial accreditation during the fifth candidacy year in sufficient time for the Board to consider the outcome of the evaluation prior to the conclusion of the fifth candidacy year.

An institution applying for candidacy or initial accreditation shall undergo a comprehensive evaluation with an Assurance Filing, Assurance Review and on-site visit. As detailed above, the institution will be required to demonstrate its compliance with HLC requirements according to the evaluative framework applicable to candidacy or initial accreditation.

In addition to the Assurance Filing, HLC shall supply information including, but not limited to, information from the Eligibility Process or accelerated process for initial accreditation in which the institution has engaged; official correspondence; public comments; previous evaluation team reports and action letters, if any; information from the institution’s accreditation file regarding its standing with other recognized accreditors; and any other information HLC deems appropriate.

Recommendations Arising From Evaluations for Candidacy or Initial Accreditation. The team of HLC peer reviewers conducting a comprehensive evaluation for candidacy or initial accreditation shall in its written report make a recommendation for HLC action to complete the review. That recommendation shall be as follows:

For candidacy, the team shall recommend whether to grant or deny candidacy based on the requirements and evaluative framework detailed in this policy. The team shall not recommend monitoring but may identify discrete issues to be addressed by the institution by the time of its biennial evaluation.

For initial accreditation, the team shall recommend whether to grant or deny initial accreditation. If recommending that the Board grant initial accreditation, other than early initial accreditation, the team may recommend whether to require interim monitoring. If the institution holds candidacy status and the team recommends that the Board deny accreditation, the team will also recommend whether to extend candidacy if the institution continues to meet the requirements, and is within the time limits, for candidacy or to withdraw candidacy if the institution does not meet the requirements for candidacy.

These recommendations, along with the team’s written report, shall be forwarded to the Institutional Actions Council and then the Board of Trustees for review and action.

The institution shall have the opportunity to provide a written response to the written report of a comprehensive evaluation following HLC policies for the provision of institutional responses.

Biennial Visit 

An institution in candidacy shall host an on-site evaluation after the first two years of candidacy. In preparation for the visit the institution and HLC shall provide information to update the Assurance Filing assembled at the time the institution was evaluated for candidacy. 

On-site Visit. A team of peer reviewers, selected by HLC staff following HLC procedures, shall review the updated Assurance Filing and related materials and shall then conduct an on-site visit to the institution’s main campus or, for institutions that offer only distance or correspondence education, its administrative offices, and such other institutional locations as shall be determined by HLC based on its policies and procedures. The length of the visit shall be one and a half days, but HLC shall retain discretion to lengthen or shorten the visit or require that team members conduct additional on-site visits to the institution’s facilities to examine specific issues. 

Report and Recommendation from a Biennial Visit. The team shall prepare a written report that outlines the team’s findings related to the institution’s progress in completing its candidacy plan and meeting the Criteria for Accreditation within the four years of candidacy. If the institution is not making reasonable progress or there is evidence that the institution does not meet the Eligibility Requirements or Assumed Practices, the team shall recommend withdrawal of candidacy. The report and recommendation shall be forwarded to an HLC decision-making body for review and action. 

The institution shall have the opportunity to provide a written response to the written report of a biennial visit following HLC policies for the provision of institutional responses.  

Withdrawal of Application for Candidacy 

An institution may withdraw its application for candidacy at any time prior to a decision on that application by the Board of Trustees. The legally designated governing body of the institution must approve the withdrawal. If an institution that has withdrawn its application for candidacy seeks status again with HLC at a later time, it must wait at least one year from its withdrawal and then begin with the Eligibility Process. HLC records of this application and its evaluation, and any other HLC records related to the institution, shall be available to HLC staff and peer reviewers evaluating the institution in all subsequent reviews. 

Withdrawal of Application for Initial Accreditation  

An institution may withdraw its application for initial accreditation at any time prior to a decision on that application by the Board of Trustees. The legally designated governing body of the institution must approve the withdrawal.  

If an institution holds candidacy status and is nine months or fewer from the end of its four-year term of candidacy when it withdraws its application, such withdrawal shall also constitute voluntary withdrawal from candidacy status with HLC. If an institution that has withdrawn its application for initial accreditation in these circumstances seeks HLC status at a later time, it must wait at least one year from its withdrawal and seek candidacy by initiating the Eligibility Process.  

If an institution holds candidacy status and is more than nine months from the end of its four-year term of candidacy when it withdraws its application for initial accreditation, it may request continued candidacy instead. If it withdraws its application before or during the initial accreditation visit, after receiving the team report, or after receiving a recommendation from the Institutional Actions Council Hearing, and the team or Hearing Committee raised no issues that call into question the institution’s compliance with the requirements of the Candidacy Program, the institution may continue in its original four-year candidacy subject to action for continued candidacy by the Institutional Actions Council. If either the team or the Hearing Committee raised issues related to the institution’s compliance with the requirements of the Candidacy Program, HLC’s Board of Trustees must take action regarding the continued candidacy of the institution. 

HLC records of this application and its evaluation, and any other HLC records related to the institution, shall be available to HLC staff and peer reviewers evaluating the institution in all subsequent reviews. 

Policy History

Last Revised: February 2024, effective September 2024 
First Adopted: August 1992 and August 1987 
Revision History: August 1996 (effective September 1996), February 1998, February 2003 (effective May 1, 2003), February 2007, February 2010, June 2011, February 2012 (effective January 2013), November 2013, November 2020, February 2021, June 2021, February 2022, February 2024 (effective September 2024) 
Notes: Policies combined November 2012 – 1.1(a), 1.1(b), 1.1(b)1, 1.1(b)2, 1.4, 2013 – 1.1(b)1.3, 1.1(c), 1.1(c)1. In February 2021, references to the Higher Learning Commission as “the Commission” were replaced with the term “HLC.”