HLC: Criteria for Accreditation

The Criteria for Accreditation are the standards of quality by which HLC determines whether an institution merits accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation. Criterion 1 is as follows:

Criterion 1. Mission

The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations.

Core Components

1.A. The institution’s mission is articulated publicly and operationalized throughout the institution.

1.B. The institution's mission demonstrates commitment to the public good.

1.C. The institution provides opportunities for civic engagement in a diverse, multicultural society and globally connected world, as appropriate within its mission and for the constituencies it serves.

Click the image below to view the Kriterion 1: Mission

For more information about Criterion 1, contact:

Justin Pfeiffer

To learn more about each criterion click the buttons below

Criterion History

Last Revised: February 2019, effective September 1, 2020

First Adopted: August 1992

Revision History: Criterion 3 revised August 1998, revised February 2002, revised February 2007; New Criteria for Accreditation adopted February 2003, effective January 2005; New Criteria for Accreditation adopted February 2012, effective January 2013; revised June 2014; revised February 2019, effective September 1, 2020

Notes: Former Policy Number: 1.1(a), 2013 – 1.1 Part A, 1.1 Part B. In February 2021, references to the Higher Learning Commission as “the Commission” were replaced with the term “HLC.”