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University-News

UNC Accreditation Reaffirmed by Higher Learning Commission

With no deficiencies or concerns, University of Northern Colorado earns reaccreditation for another 10 years

January 24, 2025 | By Deanna Herbert

In what President Andy Feinstein referred to as one of the cleanest and most positive reviews in the institution’s recent history, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) recently reaffirmed accreditation for the University of Northern Colorado (UNC).

"The rigorous review process of reaccreditation is one of the most important ways UNC demonstrates that we are delivering on our mission and commitment to our students."

— President Feinstein

“The consistent affirmation UNC received from the HLC across each component of their review is almost unheard of,” said Feinstein. “The committee was incredibly thorough, and their commendations are a testament to the hard work of our faculty, staff and students and demonstrate that UNC is in a strong position.”

In late October, UNC hosted an HLC peer review team as part of the university’s 10-year comprehensive evaluation for reaffirmation of accreditation. In addition to reviewing over 600 evidence documents before coming to campus, the HLC team met with over 200 students, faculty and staff during their two-day site visit. Feinstein expressed his gratitude to everyone involved and recognized, in particular, Assistant Provost for Academic Effectiveness and the university’s HLC Accreditation Liaison Officer Kim Black, for her leadership of UNC’s accreditation efforts.

Based on its evaluation, the review team not only found that UNC is meeting all of the criteria for accreditation and federal compliance requirements, but it also called out several distinguishing strengths. Among those were comments about the effectiveness of the university’s strategic plan as a document that drives action, satisfaction with UNC’s comprehensive and specialized student support services and the consistent message from faculty and staff that affirmed the university’s collaborative culture.

The review team also noted that “UNC has demonstrated that ‘students first’ and a quality education are integral to its operations.”

“The rigorous review process of reaccreditation is one of the most important ways UNC demonstrates that we are delivering on our mission and commitment to our students,” said Feinstein. “I am proud of the work we are doing to fulfill the vision set forth in our Rowing, Not Drifting 2030 strategic plan and pleased the HLC affirmed our progress in their review.”

UNC has been accredited by the HLC since 1916. The commission is one of six institutional accrediting organizations recognized by the Colorado and U.S. Departments of Education.

The designation signals that an institution meets or exceeds acceptable levels of quality in academic programming and degrees as well as financial stability. It’s also an essential designation for degree-granting institutions to access federal Title IV financial aid for students, other federal grants and contracts, and is required for institutions to be eligible to operate in Colorado.

According to Black, preparing for accreditation is no easy task as institutions typically take between two to three years getting ready for the 10-year evaluation. Some of the key pieces include forming a self-study committee to evaluate how well the institution is meeting the specified criteria, procuring evidence documents to illustrate those efforts and conducting communications campaigns to prepare the campus for the site visit.

While she called out a few key contributors, in particular the university's assessment team, web team and those involved with student communications campaigns, Black was quick to point out that this success should be shared by the entire university community.

“We had over 100 faculty, staff and students who had substantive involvement in some form or other in helping us prepare for this site visit,” said Black. “But even if someone on this campus was not directly involved in the preparation, the results apply to the work our people do for the university. We wouldn't have had such a positive outcome if people weren’t working every day to make UNC a strong institution.”

Moving toward its next reaffirmation of accreditation in 2034-35, UNC is on what the HLC refers to as an “open pathway,” an option available to institutions who have demonstrated excellence. According to Black, UNC will submit a mid-cycle review in four years to affirm the university continues to meet the criteria for accreditation. In five years, UNC will begin planning a new quality initiative, which will be completed by year nine of the 10-year cycle.

Key excerpts from the HLC peer review team's report:

“Importantly, it was clear to the team that Rowing, Not Drifting 2030 is truly a guiding document that drives action, and not just words on paper.”
“Appropriately, UNC provides comprehensive student support services for their undergraduate and graduate students and specialized support designed to meet the unique needs and interests of specific student populations. Consistent with the survey results presented in the Assurance Argument, the team confirmed general satisfaction for the support services provided at UNC. Additionally, students spoke very highly of faculty and staff availability and support.”

“Most notably, the institution’s fiscal health does not depend on its achievement of all of the enrollment and student success metrics it has set for itself in its strategic plan. These goals were described by numerous stakeholders as important statements of value and direction without a sense of concern over adverse consequences if the exact targets are not achieved by 2030. This posture enables the institution to be both ambitious in vision and mission and realistic in implementation.”

“Given only 35% of Colorado’s need for physicians is currently being met, the recent approval to launch the UNC’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will clearly serve a public good as it scales to enroll approximately 150 students each year in this program. This development is an excellent example of how UNC engages with its external constituencies and responds to their needs.”

“UNC has demonstrated that "students first" and a quality education are integral to its operations.”

“Throughout the campus visit faculty and staff talked extensively about the collaborative culture of the institution, and the extent to which there is a broad agreement on the mission and vision which drives the academic environment.”