Note:  With the passage of the revised 2010 federal regulations for accrediting agencies, institutions are expected to notify and seek approval of additional substantive changes that occur between decennial reviews.  Please note the revised list below. (New required reporting is underlined.)

Directions:  For each substantive change approved since the institution’s initial accreditation or last reaffirmation review, briefly describe the change and provide the date of Commission approval.  If no substantive changes requiring approval have been submitted since the last comprehensive review, write “none” in the first column. If, in the review of substantive change, the institution discovers substantive changes that have not been reported according to Commission policy, the changes should be reported immediately to Commission staff.

Substantive changes requiring approval:

• Any change in the established mission or objectives of the institution
• Any change in legal status, form of control, or ownership of the institution
• The addition of courses or programs that represent a significant departure, either in content or method of delivery, from those that were offered when the institution was last evaluated
• The addition of courses or programs of study at a degree or credential level different from that which is included in the institution’s current accreditation or reaffirmation.
• A change from clock hours to credit hours
• A substantial increase in the number of clock or credit hours awarded for successful completion of a program
• The establishment of an additional location geographically apart from the main campus at which the institution offers at least 50 percent of an educational program.
• The establishment of a branch campus
• Closing a program, off-campus site, branch campus or institution
• Entering into a collaborative academic arrangement such as a dual degree program or a joint degree program with another institution
• Acquiring another institution or a program or location of another institution
• Adding a permanent location at a site where the institution is conducting a teach-out program for a closed institution
• Entering into a contract by which an entity not eligible for Title IV funding offers 25 percent or more of one or more of  the accredited institution’s  programs

LSU established and implemented in September 2013 an internal substantive change policy that establishes the requirements and procedures to ensure that the university notifies SACSCOC of all substantive changes in a timely fashion and, when required, seeks approval from SACSCOC prior to the initiation of those changes [1]. Communications between LSU and SACSCOC is provided to document that the institution fulfills the Commission policy “Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Commission on Colleges.” Frequently, the communication provides status changes in programs as well as information that may or may not be considered substantive change. The table below illustrates recent LSU correspondence with SACSCOC.