HLC Accreditation
Guided by the Higher Learning Commission, ASU-Newport advances its mission to deliver accessible, affordable, and innovative education that strengthens our regional economy.
About the Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is a regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education that accredits colleges and universities that offer degrees in the United States. HLC works with higher education institutions to ensure they meet established standards of quality, integrity, and effectiveness.
Through its accreditation process, HLC promotes continuous improvement, academic quality, and student success, helping institutions strengthen student learning and institutional performance.
How Accreditation Works: The 10-Year Accreditation Cycle
Accreditation is not a one-time event—it is an ongoing, institution-wide effort. Faculty, staff, and leadership work every day to evaluate programs, improve processes, and support student success.
The Higher Learning Commission engages with institutions throughout a ten-year accreditation cycle that includes several milestones and check-ins ensuring continuous monitoring, regular feedback, and sustained improvement over time.
Key components of the accreditation cycle include:
- Annual Institutional Updates submitted to HLC
- Multi-Location Site Visits to review additional campuses or locations
- Quality Initiative Project focused on institutional improvement
- Comprehensive Evaluation Report documenting how we meet accreditation criteria
- Reaffirmation Site Visit conducted by a team of peer reviewers
These milestones help ensure that our institution continues to uphold high standards and pursue meaningful improvements.
What Accreditation Requires: Standards, Practices, and Policies
Accreditation is about more than just meeting academic standards—it is a comprehensive process that ensures institutions operate with integrity, effectiveness, and accountability. To maintain HLC accreditation, colleges must meet:
Criteria for Accreditation
Criteria for Accreditation – Core standards that focus on mission, integrity, teaching and learning, and sustainability.
Assumed Practices
Fundamental expectations for ethical conduct, academic rigor, student support, and institutional transparency.
Federal Compliance Requirements
Legal obligations related to financial aid, student privacy, reporting, and other federal regulations.
Together, these standards, practices, and polices help institutions provide high-quality, reliable education while continuously improving and serving their students and communities.
Key Accreditation Documents: Our Institutional Reports
Transparency and continuous improvement are central to Arkansas State University-Newport’s accreditation work. We share key documents submitted to HLC to provide insight into our academic programs, institutional effectiveness, and ongoing efforts to meet HLC expectations.
Some of our key accreditation documents include:
- 2021 Assurance Argument – Demonstrates how [College Name] meets HLC’s criteria and core components.
- 2024 Quality Initiative – Highlights a focused project aimed at improving student learning and institutional processes.
- 2025 Multi-Location Site Visit Report – Summarizes HLC’s findings and recommendations from our most recent site visit across campuses.
These documents provide a transparent view of our accreditation work and show how we continuously assess and strengthen our institution to serve students and our community.
Continuous Improvement Statement
As mentioned previously, at Arkansas State University-Newport accreditation is not just a periodic review—it’s an ongoing commitment to excellence. To centralize and streamline these efforts, we established the Division of Institutional Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement in the Fall 2025. Reporting directly to the Chancellor, this division supports all institutional divisions and departments, helping drive strategic initiatives, assessment, continuous improvement, and quality enhancement across the institution.
Most of our assessment and accreditation work flows through our committee structure, with the Assessment and Accreditation Committee serving as the central hub. This structure ensures that evaluation, reporting, and improvement efforts are coordinated, transparent, and aligned with our mission, strategic plan, as well as HLC expectations.
Our continuous improvement efforts include:
Using data from assessments, surveys, and reports to inform decisions, and refine programs and services
Implementing quality initiatives that strengthen student learning and support services
Engaging faculty, staff, and leadership in professional development and planning
Responding to feedback from HLC site visits and reports to enhance institutional processes
This cycle of reflection and improvement ensures that Arkansas State University-Newport continues to provide a high-quality, accessible, and affordable education that meets the evolving needs of our students and community.
Learn More About Our Reaffirmation Work
Arkansas State University-Newport participates in HLC’s Open Pathway, which emphasizes ongoing improvement and accountability. Our reaffirmation process is a key part of this cycle, allowing us to reflect on accomplishments, plan strategically for the future, and demonstrate continued alignment with HLC standards.
To learn how our campus is actively preparing for our next reaffirmation visit, explore our dedicated page: Soaring to Success: Our Reaffirmation Journey.
Get Involved
Accreditation is a campus-wide effort, and every member of the institution plays a role. Faculty, staff, students, and community members contribute through teaching, learning, service, assessment, and participation in institutional initiatives.
Our reaffirmation journey includes five professional development sessions dedicated to learning about accreditation and preparing for our upcoming review by the Higher Learning Commission. During these scheduled dates, all campus locations will be closed so employees can participate in mandatory accreditation training.
Between these sessions, employees will have additional opportunities to deepen their understanding of accreditation through activities and resources available in our Canvas course, “HLC Accreditation.”
While many of our preparation activities focus on employee learning and engagement, we also want to share our journey with students, community members, advisory board members, and other partners. This webpage will provide updates and information about accreditation, and we will host additional events and outreach opportunities throughout the year to help our broader community learn more about our reaffirmation process.
Your participation helps demonstrate the collaborative spirit that defines our institution.