The accreditation process requires an institution to provide evidence at regular intervals demonstrating that it meets specific criteria for academic quality, institutional effectiveness, and fiscal stability. That evidence is reviewed by an external peer review team of higher education professionals, whose findings are provided both to the accrediting agency and to the institution. The accreditation process also includes a quality improvement component, enabling institutions to identify and strengthen specific aspects of their programs or performance.
St. Olaf is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which accredits approximately one thousand colleges and universities, most of them located in the midwestern region of the US. As an HLC-accredited institution, St. Olaf must be certified regularly as meeting 69 quality standards grouped under the following five criteria for accreditation:
Criterion 1. Mission: The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations.
Criterion 2. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct. The institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.
Criterion 3. Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support: The institution provides quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered.
Criterion 4. Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and Improvement: The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environments, and support services, and it evaluates their effectiveness for student learning through processes designed to promote continuous improvement.
Criterion 5. Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning: The institution’s resources, structures, and processes are sufficient to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational offerings, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.
To learn more about how the college demonstrates that it meets these criteria, see the accreditation review components and the St. Olaf 10-year accreditation cycle.