Accreditation Compliance and Reporting
Accreditation and Academic Programs (AAP) leads institutional accreditation efforts by ensuring on-going SACSCOC compliance and assisting academic units with maintaining program-level accreditations.
SACSCOC accreditation
Why accreditation matters
Accreditation by SACSCOC means UofL meets high standards for academics, student support, and overall operations. Accreditation helps ensure degrees are respected, credits can transfer, and students qualify for federal financial aid. It also reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to providing a high-quality, meaningful education.
To demonstrate how these standards are met, UofL shares key public information—including student achievement metrics, academic program availability at alternative locations, academic agreements, and more. Explore student achievement metrics and other public disclosures.
Questions or concerns about accreditation
SACSCOC should be contacted only for matters directly related to accreditation. Anyone with concerns about whether UofL is meeting accreditation standards should first contact the university’s accreditation liaison, Vice Provost Robert "Bob" Goldstein, for guidance.
If someone believes UofL is not meeting SACSCOC standards, a formal complaint may be submitted directly to the commission. Complaints must follow SACSCOC’s official procedures and relate specifically to compliance with accreditation requirements. Contact the SACSCOC liaison.
Guidance for faculty and staff on accreditation compliance (sign in required)
Accreditation and Academic Programs provides internal resources to help faculty and staff support the university’s ongoing accreditation efforts. These materials offer practical guidance on topics like faculty credentialing, program rigor, professional licensure, credit hour compliance, and required public disclosures. These resources are designed to help academic units stay aligned with SACSCOC standards in their day-to-day work. Access faculty and staff compliance resources (sign in required).
Reaffirmations and interim reviews
To support transparency and continuous improvement, UofL shares key documents from its accreditation review cycles. These include the 2017 reaffirmation of accreditation, the 2023 interim review, and materials related to the upcoming 2027 reaffirmation. Each report reflects UofL’s commitment to maintaining institutional quality and meeting SACSCOC standards. Review accreditation reports.
Accredited academic programs
Resources for faculty and staff (sign-in required)
Most recent reaffirmations and interim reviews
2027 reaffirmation
The 2027 reaffirmation of accreditation is coordinated by the Accreditation and Academic Programs (AAP) team and led by Dr. Gerry Bradley, President, and Dr. Katie Cardarelli, Interim University Provost. Faculty, staff, and other stakeholders from across UofL are actively engaged in the compliance certification self-study process.
The organizational chart below outlines UofL’s reaffirmation leadership structure and describes the roles and responsibilities of the committees supporting this important effort.
The following is a schedule of important milestones in the reaffirmation process and UofL's progress:
Timeframe | Milestone | Status | Related documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | Orientation of leadership team | Complete | Institutional summary form (PDF) Orientation letter (PDF) |
| September 2026 | Compliance certification due | Drafting phase in-progress | -- |
| November 2026 | Off-site peer review | Not started | -- |
| Six (6) 2eeks in advance of on-site review | Focused report submitted (if required) | Not started | -- |
| Scheduled for January - April 2027 | On-site peer review | Not started | -- |
| December 2027 | SACSCOC Board of Trustees review | Not started | -- |
2023 fifth-year interim review
In 2023, UofL successfully completed its fifth-year interim review with SACSCOC, which included submission of the compliance certification report and the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) impact report. Following its initial review, SACSCOC identified one minor non-compliance finding related to standard 14.1 (publication of accreditation status). UofL responded promptly, submitting a referral report within two months to address the concern.
The timeline and documents below highlight key milestones from UofL’s most recent fifth-year interim review process.
Date | Milestone | Document(s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | UofL submitted its fifth-year interim report and QEP impact report. | Fifth-year interim report (PDF) QEP impact report (PDF) |
| June 2023 | SACSCOC required UofL to submit a referral report to address a non-compliance finding with standard 14.1 (publication of accreditation status). | SACSCOC referral report request letter (PDF) |
| August 2023 | UofL submitted the Referral Report to address and correct the noncompliance finding with Standard 14.1 (Publication of Accreditation Status). | Referral report (PDF) |
| January 2024 | SACSCOC Board of Trustees reviewed the referral report and did not request any additional reports. | SACSCOC approval letter (PDF) |
2017 reaffirmation
UofL's SACSCOC accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in 2017. Below is a timeline and relevant documentation from the 2017 decennial reaffirmation process:
Date | Milestone | Document(s) |
|---|---|---|
| September 2016 | UofL submits its 2017 reaffirmation report. | Reaffirmation report (PDF) |
| November 2016 | SACSCOC completes the off-site review. | Off-site review committee report (PDF) |
| February 2018 | UofL submits its focused report and addendum. | Focused report and addendum (PDF) |
| February 2018 | UofL submits its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). | QEP (PDF) |
| May 2018 | SACSCOC completes the on-site review. | On-site review committee report (PDF) |
| August 2018 | UofL submits response to on-site review committee report. | Response to on-site review committee report (PDF) |
| December 2018 | SACSCOC reaffirms UofL's accreditation. | SACSCOC reaffirmation confirmation letter (PDF) |