Substantive Change
Substantive Change is a term used by our accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), to describe “any significant modification or expansion in the nature and scope of an accredited institution.” Under federal regulations, substantive change includes:
- Substantially changing the established mission or objectives of an institution or its programs
- Changing the legal status, form of control, or ownership of an institution
- Changing the governance of an institution
- Merging / consolidating two or more institutions or entities
- Acquiring another institution or any program or location of another institution
- Relocating an institution or an off-campus instructional site of an institution (including a branch campus)
- Offering courses or programs at a higher or lower degree level than currently authorized
- Adding graduate programs at an institution previously offering only undergraduate programs (including degrees, diplomas, certificates, and other for-credit credentials)
- Changing the way an institution measures student progress, whether in clock hours or credit-hours; semesters, trimesters, or quarters; or time-based or non–time-based methods or measures
- Adding a program that is a significant departure from the existing programs, or method of delivery, from those offered when the institution was last evaluated
- Initiating programs by distance education or correspondence courses
- Adding an additional method of delivery to a currently offered program
- Entering into a cooperative academic arrangement
- Entering into a written arrangement under 34 C.F.R. § 668.5 under which an institution or organization not certified to participate in the title IV Higher Education Act (HEA) programs offers less than 25% (notification) or 25-50% (approval) of one or more of the accredited institution's educational programs. An agreement offering more than 50% of one or more of an institution’s programs is prohibited by federal regulation
- Substantially increase or decrease the number of clock hours or credit hours awarded or competencies demonstrated, or an increase in the level of credential awarded, for successful completion of one or more programs
- Adding competency-based education programs
- Adding each competency-based education program by direct assessment
- Adding programs with completion pathways that recognize and accommodate a student’s prior or existing knowledge or competency
- Awarding dual or joint academic awards
- Re-opening a previously closed program or off-campus instructional site
- Adding a new off-campus instructional site/additional location including a branch campus
- Adding a permanent location at a site at which an institution is conducting a teach-out program for students of another institution that has ceased operating before all students have completed their program of study
- Closing an institution, a program, a method of delivery, an off-campus instructional site, or a program at an off-campus instructional site
- Participating in the federal Prison Education Program providing Pell Grant access to confined or incarcerated students
Any change in the curriculum programs that CCCC offers, or the locations where curriculum courses meet (including a change from seated to distance courses), needs to be evaluated to determine whether the change needs to be reported. At CCCC, the Institutional Advancement office reviews any and all proposed changes and recommends appropriate communication of the plan to SACSCOC for approval.
If you have an initiative that you feel may constitute a substantive change, please contact Brian Simpson, Director of Accreditation, to discuss the matter. He will research the appropriate guidelines to follow and will work to organize the submission of appropriate notification.
Types and Timing of Notification
Substantive changes generally require a notification of the change be submitted to SACSCOC six months prior to the implementation and/or a prospectus be submitted the prior January for a fall implementation and by June for a Spring implementation.
- Some substantive changes only require the college to notify SACSCOC of the change. In this case, the notification letter simply demonstrates our intent to make a change and includes the proposed implementation date and the physical address(es) of the change. Once SACSCOC receives notification, the college can implement the change.
- Other substantial substantive changes require SACSCOC approval before the college is allowed to implement the change. The prospectus documents and demonstrates in great detail the need for the change, the plan for the change, and the college’s ability to support the change under proper authority, through adequate resources, facilities and faculty, and with appropriate evaluation and assessment.
Details about what constitutes a substantive change and what CCCC needs to send to SACSCOC in response to a substantive change are available in the Substantive Change Quick Reference Guide.