About OHIO’s reaffirmation of accreditation process: Why is accreditation important?

Ohio University continues to make progress in its institutional preparation for its Higher Learning Commission (HLC) comprehensive evaluation (i.e.  reaffirmation of accreditation ). It’s a process that will continue to involve everyone – from faculty, staff and students to the valued stakeholders across each of OHIO’s communities.

OHIO’s formal reaffirmation process will culminate in a peer review team visit in March 2025. While based on the Athens campus, reviewers also will visit the Lancaster and Eastern campuses. More information on OHIO’s Reaffirmation of Accreditation may be found on its reaffirmation of accreditation website. 

Why is accreditation important? 

Accreditation is a vital aspect of OHIO’s commitment to excellence and continuous quality improvement. This process allows OHIO to publicly demonstrate both its academic quality and the value it provides to our students, stakeholders, communities and more. 

Additionally, the process provides valuable feedback from experts in the field and offers insight into how Ohio University is meeting higher education quality standards; it also provides an opportunity to demonstrate our institutional effectiveness. 

Only accredited institutions are eligible to receive federal funds for higher education, including student financial aid and research funding. In addition to demonstrating the worth of an OHIO degree, accreditation helps to ensure that a student’s transfer credits will be accepted by other accredited schools. Some graduate schools or programs only accept students with degrees from accredited schools.

What is OHIO’s pathway for reaffirmation of accreditation?

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) offers two pathways to Reaffirmation of Accreditation: Standard and Open. Through the Open Pathway, Ohio University engages in a 10-year evaluation cycle to reaffirm compliance with HLC requirements and pursue institutional improvement. 

After HLC discontinued the AQIP Pathway in 2019, Ohio University transitioned to the Open Pathway. It is through these Open Pathway milestones that HLC expects Ohio University to produce evidence that it is appropriately meeting the Criteria for Accreditation.

How long has Ohio University been accredited? 

First accredited in 1913, Ohio University is considered one of the founding members of the Higher Learning Commission. Since then, the University has been continuously accredited and has participated in review and reaffirmation activities many times. Most recently, Ohio University was reaffirmed in 2015-2016.

Are there ways I provide support during the reaffirmation of accreditation process?

Achieving accredited status is a time and resource-intensive process that requires a commitment to institutional effectiveness and the continuous improvement of academic quality. OHIO is committed to providing a quality education wherever and however its educational courses and programs are delivered. The reaffirmation process involves everyone – from faculty, staff and students to the valued stakeholders across our OHIO communities. 

As OHIO’s reaffirmation of accreditation moves forward, we will keep you updated on the progress of our reaffirmation efforts and opportunities for the University community to share their voices and feedback via ohio.edu/provost/accreditation/reaffirmation.