Auburn University earns reaffirmation of accreditation by SACSCOC

At its Dec. 5 annual meeting, the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC, awarded Auburn University a 10-year reaffirmation of its institutional accreditation.

As the accrediting body for degree-granting higher education institutions within the southern United States, SACSCOC evaluates the university’s compliance with 72 standards designed to measure institutional quality, including academic programs, student success, administrative operations, governance, financial resources, physical facilities, faculty qualifications and support services, among others. Auburn’s reaffirmation was granted without any requests for additional or follow-up reports, meaning the institution is not required to provide additional reporting requirements from the review until its next accreditation cycle in 2033.

“Auburn’s reaccreditation is a direct result of our ability to deliver on our land-grant mission and reflects the value and impact of our teaching, research and extension programs,” President Christopher B. Roberts said. “While compliance with SACSCOC’s standards is important to our institution, it represents just the baseline of our commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and excellence in all we do.”

Reaccreditation ensures Auburn remains aligned with key standards established by the U.S. Department of Education and can continue to receive federal financial aid funding. Auburn maintains numerous specialized academic and professional accreditations across its 12 colleges, all of which are dependent on accreditation by SACSCOC and serve as additional indicators of institutional quality.

The SACSCOC decision concludes an extensive three-year process launched in early 2020 to compile documentation for the university’s compliance certification report submitted in September 2022. Following a review of the report by an off-site committee last fall, the process culminated with an on-site review committee comprised of faculty and staff members from other SACSCOC-accredited institutions visiting the campus in spring 2023.

Going Beyond: AUBURNACHIEVE

In 2028, Auburn will submit a required Fifth-Year Interim Report, demonstrating compliance with select standards and providing a review of its Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, a part of the reaffirmation process designed to advance student success. The university’s QEP, AUBURNACHIEVE, is a campus-wide program that enhances career outcomes for graduating students by aligning coursework with the needs of employers, based on first-destination outcome data — information regarding how alumni fare within the first six months of graduation. The program is designed to ensure that Auburn graduates will be in demand by industry, government, nonprofits and academia due to their student experiences.

“AUBURNACHIEVE is a forward-thinking approach to how our students translate their academic and co-curricular experiences into marketable skills,” Roberts said. “I have every confidence that our QEP will yield valuable results that benefit our students and enable Auburn to emerge as a national model for career outcomes in higher education.”

Auburn was first accredited by SACSCOC more than a century ago but must complete a reaffirmation of its accreditation every 10 years. This most recent reaffirmation cycle engaged hundreds of faculty, staff and students from across campus to document and support Auburn’s compliance with the SACSCOC standards.

“I am grateful to the countless members of our campus community who invested time in this process,” Roberts said. “We will carry this momentum forward as we continue to chart Auburn’s path with a new strategic plan that will undoubtedly set the stage for our next review in 2033.”

For more information about AUBURNACHIEVE, visit the university’s QEP website.