Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
The Commission on Colleges, part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), accredits degree-granting institutions in eleven states:
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Florida
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Virginia
It is recognized as an institutional and regional accrediting agency by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Accreditation is a critical signal to potential students and to the public at large that an institution meets appropriate quality standards. At a minimum, accreditation is meant to ensure that the institution has a relevant educational mission; sufficient resources available to accomplish this mission; specific, appropriate educational objectives; and success in meeting those objectives. Institutions affiliated with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools are committed to meeting its specific accreditation standards with integrity.
The SACS offers institutional, rather than programmatic accreditation, meaning that it accredits the school as a whole rather than accrediting a specific program. This includes distance learning programs that are part of member institutions, as well as branch campuses. The organization publishes a membership directory, as well as a list of institutions on probation or warning status.
What SACS Accreditation MeansAccreditation is also a means for institutions to self-regulate and continue to improve their educational excellence. The SACS encourages this through its accreditation process. Member institutions are expected to engage fully in self-study and also to derive benefit from the peer review component. This helps ensure that member colleges - and their students - gain as much as they can from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation process.
Article ReferencesThe Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
http://www.sacscoc.org/
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