Substantive Change Policy

SACSCOC accreditation extends to all programs and services of an institution, wherever located and however delivered. SACSCOC does not accredit individual programs, locations, or portions of an institution. However, new programs, locations, and other institutional changes are usually subject to notification or approval as defined in the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures.

A substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. Substantive changes include high-impact, high-risk changes and changes that impact the quality of educational programs and services. In broad terms, SACSCOC has organized substantive changes into three categories: institutional changes, program changes, and off-campus instructional site/additional location changes.  

An anticipated change in any of these categories is to be shared with the University’s Accreditation Liaison (Phil Handwerk, handwepg@wfu.edu).  Senior administrators (e.g., Provost, Vice Provosts, Vice Presidents, etc.), academic deans, or those designated by the deans, are to notify and provide the University’s Accreditation Liaison a description of any significant modification or expansion of the nature or scope of the institution that results from changes to programs or services. It is recommended that this notification occur twelve months or more before the intended implementation. The Accreditation Liaison will work with the administrator, dean, or designee in proceeding with the notification process as required by the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures.

The Provost’s Planning Notice should be submitted for any new degree programs and certificates, undergraduate majors, and cooperative academic arrangements (internal or external). Existing programs proposing new locations, modalities, or tuition structures should also submit a Provost’s Planning Notice. Contact the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs to submit a Provost’s Planning Notice. This preliminary review by the Provost and Deans’ Council facilitates programmatic alignment and identifies potential collaboration across schools.  

Additionally, academic deans or their appointees are required to notify their school’s representative on the Academic Program Administrative Committee (APAC) of any academic programs that are new or being substantially revised or closed.  This notification and APAC review, which should occur before the program is presented for final approval by faculty or school-based academic planning committees, will help ensure that essential administrative functions needed for operational success are in place. Note: programs in the School of Medicine or Biomedical Sciences are not reviewed by the APAC.

Non-Compliance

If an institution is non-compliant with SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures, its accreditation may be in jeopardy. An unreported substantive change may require a review of the institution’s substantive change policy and procedures document by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. Non-compliance subjects the institution to monitoring, sanction, or removal from membership. Failure to secure approval, if required, of a substantive change involving programs or locations that qualify for Title IV federal funding may place the institution in jeopardy with the U.S. Department of Education, including reimbursement of funds received related to an unreported substantive change.

Timing

For a substantive change requiring approval by the full SACSCOC Board of Trustees (which meets biannually), to be implemented after the date of the Board meeting, the submission deadlines are

• March 15 for review at the Board’s biannual meeting in June of the same calendar year, and
• September 1 for review at the Board’s biannual meeting in December of the same calendar year.

For a substantive change requiring approval by SACSCOC’s Executive Council of the Board of Trustees or by senior staff, the submission deadlines are

• January 1 for changes to be implemented July 1 through December 31 of the same calendar year, and
• July 1 for changes to be implemented January 1 through June 30 of the subsequent calendar year.

For a substantive change requiring notification only, it can be submitted any time before implementation. Once the institution has submitted notification, it may implement before receiving a response from SACSCOC. If there are deficiencies or additional information needed about the notification, the institutional liaison will be contacted at the time of review for resolution and before action is taken. This applies to notifications only, not to approvals: changes requiring approval cannot be implemented until approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. 

All WFU approval processes (e.g., review by the WFU Board of Trustees, where needed) must be completed before substantive change documentation is submitted to SACSCOC.

Substantive Change Examples

While not exhaustive, substantive changes may include:

• Institutional changes
  • Change in institutional mission.
  • Changing how 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 competency-based education programs.
• Program changes
  • Even though WFU has been approved to offer distance education programs, additional programs in which 50% or more is earned through distance education are subject to:
    • new program approval if it is a significant departure from the institution’s existing programs, OR
    • notification as an additional method of delivery for an existing program.
  • Offering programs at a higher or lower degree level than currently authorized.
  • Adding a program that is a significant departure (i.e., 50% to 100% new content) from the existing programs requires approval.
    • A determination of the percentage of new content is made by the institution, not SACSCOC.
    • Content is new if it is not currently offered by the institution at the new program’s instructional level (associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral).
  • Increasing or decreasing program length by 25% or more, or increasing or decreasing the expected time to completion by one or more terms.
  • Entering into a cooperative academic arrangement with Non-Title IV entities.
  • Closing a program.
• Off-campus instructional site/additional location changes
  • Adding a new off-campus instructional site/additional location, including a branch campus, or changing the site name or address.
  • Closing an off-campus instructional site or a program at an off-campus instructional site.

Please see the Substantive Change Types Quick Reference table developed by SACSCOC to help in determining which changes require notification, approval, visitation, etc.

Office of Institutional Research, Wake Forest University

Jan 16, 2026