Reaffirmation of Accreditation FAQs

Institutional accreditation is a public way of demonstrating the quality of education that OHIO provides, along with showing our adherence to federal regulations. Accreditation shows the public that the university is acting in good faith to serve the public by providing a quality education.

Only accredited institutions are eligible to receive federal funds for higher education, including student financial aid and research funding. Accreditation helps to ensure that a student’s transfer credits will be accepted by another accredited school. Some graduate schools or programs only accept students with degrees from accredited schools.

Ohio University was first accredited by the Higher Learning Commission in 1913. Since then, the university has participated in review and reaffirmation activities many times. Most recently, Ohio University was reaffirmed in 2015-2016.

Institutional accreditation happens in cycles, so that we can continue to show our higher quality. Public interest in the value of higher education has been growing over the past several years. Our potential students and their families, along with government officials and politicians, want to know that the money spent by students and taxpayers is a good investment. Employers want to know that the graduates that they hire have had a quality education. Since our original accreditation in 1913, the university, society, the job market, and taxpayer funding models have all changed significantly. Reaffirming that we still meet the criteria for accreditation shows a continued focus on educational quality.

Institutional accreditation reflects the overall quality of the whole institution without making judgments about any specific programs. Institutional accreditation is accreditation of all programs, sites, and methods of delivery. The accreditation of individual programs, such as those preparing students to practice a profession (athletic training, education, social work, nursing, etc.), is carried out by specialized or program accrediting bodies that apply specific standards for curriculum and course content. The Higher Learning Commission does not provide a list of programs offered by its accredited institutions. Each specialized accrediting body publishes a list of programs it accredits.

The Higher Learning Commission has two options that a college or university can use to demonstrate their commitment to providing a quality education – the Standard Pathway and the Open Pathway. In both cases, the institution is expected to meet quality assurance standards and pursue institutional improvement. In the Open Pathway, the improvement component is specified by the institution through the Quality Initiative.

Ohio Guarantee+ is the Quality Initiative project for Ohio University. For more information, please visit OHIO Guarantee+ | Ohio University.

Institutions that do not sufficiently demonstrate compliance with accreditation standards may be asked for monitoring reports or placed on the public sanctions of “Notice” or “Probation.” The institution is typically given a period of time (e.g., two years) to come into compliance with the accreditation standards.