HLC reaffirms KU's institutional accreditation
Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that the Institutional Actions Council of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has accepted our peer review team’s site visit report, which indicates that KU continues to meet all requirements for accreditation and reaffirms the university’s institutional accreditation. The approved report was prepared after an evaluation of our assurance argument, federal compliance report and branch campus report, and a multi-day site visit of interviews and open forums in March 2025. (You can view the report using your Lawrence or KU Medical Center single sign-on credentials.)
A successful site visit was only possible because of you — our talented faculty and staff. Your thoughtful work and planning during the past two years, as well as the incredible talent and dedication you bring to your efforts each day, clearly made an impression on the peer review site team.
Moving forward to our next review — a mid-cycle assurance argument during 2029–2030 — the peer review team urged us to continue to integrate the One KU initiative across all campuses and noted some challenges, which KU is committed to improving:
- Grow our research mission while ensuring clear alignment and synergy between areas of scholarly focus and undergraduate and graduate education;
- Continue assessment and program review activities, including online programs, that utilize data to drive continuous improvement in student learning in our academic programs;
- Further develop, communicate and implement a comprehensive strategic enrollment plan with consistent resource planning that specifically includes targets and strategies for online and competency-based education programs; and
- Enhance trust and community by creating a comprehensive communication plan that will provide KU faculty, staff, and students transparency and rationale about decision-making and define clear roles and responsibilities for inclusion of the KU community in university and campus-level decisions.
Accreditation from the HLC serves as a beacon of our superior educational quality and confirmation that we are fulfilling our mission of education, service and research. We celebrate this accomplishment and look forward to continuing our work to make KU the best it can be.
Respectfully,
Douglas A. Girod
Chancellor
Barbara A. Bichelmeyer
Chief Academic Officer & Provost
Executive Vice Chancellor for KU Lawrence & Edwards
Steven Stites
Chief Health Sciences Officer
Executive Vice Chancellor for KUMC