Institutional Accreditation

Since 1913, CU Boulder has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). As an accredited institution, we are required to assess and evaluate the education we deliver, our mission, integrity, ethics, teaching and learning, resources, planning and institutional effectiveness and make public how well, and in what ways, we as a university accomplish our goals.

To accomplish this assessment and evaluation, CU Boulder participates in a decennial comprehensive review process, focused on quality assurance and institutional improvement within the context of HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation. The university’s most recent comprehensive review included a site visit by a team of peer reviewers on December 9–10, 2019, and culminated in reaccreditation in March 2020. For more information, see HLC’s description of the assurance review process.

All documents related to the December 2019 visit and the university's response are posted below.  

• HLC Final Action 
• Institutional Response 
• HLC Final Team Report 
• Assurance Argument 

In June 2024, the university submitted its Year 4 Assurance Argument Filing to the HLC. In this filing, we provided evidence of our continuous growth and improvement as an institution and our continued commitment to providing our students with a high-quality education.

The documents are posted below:

• HLC Action Letter
• Institutional Response
• HLC Final Team Report
• Year 4 Assurance Argument Filing

For more information, see HLC’s information on the Assurance Review and policy on the Criteria for Accreditation.

CU Boulder’s March 2020 accreditation report included two specific areas on which HLC will monitor the university for improvement: designing and implementing a common curriculum for all CU undergraduates, and creating a cross-campus plan for assessing student learning. Currently, CU Boulder is engaged in writing and revising its follow-up Year 4 Assurance Filing for review in June 2024. As in previous reviews, the assurance filing will document how the university continues to meet the HLC’s criteria for accreditation within the context of our mission along with documenting our progress on university initiatives. It will also provide  information on our progress on these two areas of monitoring from the March 2020 report.

Timeline

CU Boulder participates in HLC’s Open Pathway. Unlike other accreditation models offered by HLC, the Open Pathway contains an improvement component allowing the university to pursue and report on a Quality Initiative Project of our choosing.

• 2019 to 2020: Comprehensive Evaluation for Reaffirmation of Accreditation  
• June 2024: Year 4 Assurance Argument Filing
• 2024 to 2027: Develop Quality Initiative (QI) Proposal
• July 2026: Interim Report
• 2028 to 2029: QI Report
• 2029 to 2030: Comprehensive Evaluation for Reaffirmation of Accreditation