Substantive Changes

Updates and announcements

  • New upcoming webinar:  New Programs. Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 11am ET.
  • New on-demand webinar:  Level Change [Zoom] and handout [PDF]. (Recorded October 29, 2024)
  • Congratulations to  Louisiana Delta Community College on securing USDE approval of its Prison Education Program (PEP).  Additional PEP information is available on this webpage and in the substantive change policy and procedures.
  • Program length change: New federal regulation, effective July 1, 2024, limit program length for certain gainful employment programs. An institution may, at its discretion, submit a Program Length Change prospectus for approval even if none of the current policy-defined criteria requiring approval are met. The online screening form to submit a Program Length Change has been modified to accommodate this condition. This exception will be included in the next revision of the substantive change policy, subject to SACSCOC Board of Trustees approval. Refer to 34 C.F.R. § 668.14(b)(26) for guidance.
  • Substantive Change Committee Review Stages [PDF]:  a one-page reference of review stages, definitions, and typical sequence
  • The Substantive Change Policy and Procedures was revised by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees on June 13, 2024. 
    • The revised version is now available.  It is effective immediately. A redline version is available noting all changes with select accompanying comments and explanations of the changes.
    • Click your browser’s reload or refresh button to access the most recent version of the policy; ensure you have the updated version by confirming the revision date — June 2024 — printed on the final page of the policy.
  • Prison Education Program (PEP) information

    • PEP obligations and process have been changed since initially added to the substantive change policy in 2023; refer to the current policy — dated June 2024 — for the most current information.A publicly available resource folder contains information from multiple sources for your reference.  New and recently added items are noted.The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has a comprehensive and regularly updated PEP questions and answers webpage.

Upcoming dates and deadlines

Note:  All Substantive Change submissions must be made using the institutional portal.

  • January 1, 2025:  Deadline to submit substantive changes to be implemented July 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025, requiring approval by the Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees.
  • March 15, 2025:  Deadline to submit substantive changes requiring review by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees in June 2025.  Carefully review the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures to determine if a substantive change type or institutional status requires Board review at a regularly scheduled biannual meeting (usually in June and December; also referred to as “C&R”) or if it can be reviewed by the Executive Council of the Board (year-round).  See also “Board review pathways” in the substantive change policy

Substantive change policy and related policies

Webinars

Upcoming webinars:

  • New Programs
    Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 11am ET

    This webinar will walk you through the substantive change obligations for new programs.  Topics include determining significant departure (i.e., determining percentage new program content), preparing a notification, writing a prospectus, faculty qualification considerations, prerequisite institutional board and/or state agency approvals, advertising and student recruitment, and more. The webinar will be led by Dr. Robin Zúñiga and Dr. Kevin Sightler.

    SACSCOC substantive change webinars are free. Anyone can attend and there are no limits or restrictions.

On-demand webinars:

Documents and Templates