SACSCOC

Accreditation is an external institutional review process that ensures constituents and the public that the quality and integrity of higher education institutions meets acceptable levels of quality. These outcomes are achieved through rigorous internal and external peer review processes during which the institution is evaluated against a common set of standards.

UNCSA is accredited by the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the accrediting body of degree-granting higher education institutions primarily located in the southern states, although the Commission also accepts applications for membership from domestic institutions in all states, as well as international higher education institutions.

SACSCOC Mission: SACSCOC strives to assure the educational quality of its member institutions and improve their effectiveness.
SACSCOC Core Values:
- Integrity
- Accountability
- Continuous Quality Improvement
- Student Learning
- Peer Review/Self Regulation
- Transparency

Standard Progress Toward Compliance Report

There are 73 Standards that must be included in the Compliance Report:

Stage*	Count	Percent of Prior Stage	Percent of Total Standards
Draft submitted for review	42	-	57.5%
1st draft reviewed by APIR	33	78.6%	45.2%
1st draft reviewed by consultant	32	97.0%	43.8%
Feedback on 1st draft given to contributors	28	87.5%	38.4%
Final version of narrative ready for inclusion in digital report	15	53.6%	20.5%

*As of May 2025

Target Phases for Final Version

Phase	First of Month	Count of Standards	Percent of Standards	Growth	Goal Achievement
1	May	14	19.2%	19.2%	Met
2	June	27	37.0%	56.2%
3	July	16	21.9%	78.1%
4	August	14	19.2%	97.3%
5	September	2	2.7%	100%
Grand Total	-	73	100%	-

Resources

People

More than 60 people from across UNCSA are contributing to the Compliance Report. The SACSCOC Leadership Team is:

Brian Cole

Chancellor

Patrick Sims

Provost

Wendy Emerson

Vice Chancellor of Finance & Administration

Anson Koch-Rein and Ksenija Komljenović

QEP/Faculty Representatives

Elizabeth Davis

SACSCOC Liaison

Sarah Iler

APIR

Kala Perkins-Holtsclaw

SACSCOC Consultant

UNCSA Ten-Year Reaffirmation Process

Action Item	Responsibility	Timeline	Notes
Compliance Report	Prepared by UNCSA	Due to SACSCOC September 1, 2025	Document that demonstrates the institution’s evaluation of compliance with the Standards.
Off-Site Reaffirmation Review	Reviewed by SACSCOC	November 4-7, 2025	The Off-Site Reaffirmation Committee, composed of a chair and 8-10 peer evaluators, prepares a report recording and explaining its preliminary findings of compliance in the institution’s Compliance Report.
SACSCOC Staff Advisory Visit	Organized by UNCSA	November 17-18, 2025	UNCSA’s SACSCOC VP visits campus to provide guidance on the Focus Report and the On-Site Visit
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Report and Focus Report	Prepared by UNCSA	Due to SACSCOC January 5, 2026	QEP Report summarizes the full QEP; Focus Report is completed for any standards found non-compliant during off-site review.
On-Site Reaffirmation Review	Reviewed by SACSCOC	February 16-19, 2026	After reviewing the compliance report, a separate On-Site Committee visits campus to conduct a focused evaluation, confirm compliance, and evaluate the QEP.
Review by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees	Reviewed by SACSCOC	December 5-8, 2026	SACSCOC Board of Trustees makes final determination on compliance. If issues are found, a monitoring report is submitted.
Monitoring Report	Prepared by UNCSA	TBD	Submitted by the institution if standards are found non-compliant during on-site committee visit or Board of Trustees review.