Substantive Changes

Updates and announcements

  • Revisions to the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures will be considered by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees at its meeting in December. If approved,
    • the revised policy and a redline version will be available as quickly as possible on the substantive change webpage, and
    • a webinar walkthrough and discussion of the revisions will be scheduled for early January.
  • New on-demand webinar: New Programs [Zoom] and handout [PDF]. (Recorded November 20, 2024)
  • New on-demand webinar:  Level Change [Zoom] and handout [PDF]. (Recorded October 29, 2024)
  • Substantive Change Committee Review Stages [PDF]:  a one-page reference of review stages, definitions, and typical sequence
  • Prison Education Program (PEP) information
    • A publicly available PEP resource folder contains information from multiple sources for your reference. New and recently added items are noted.
    • Multiple on-demand PEP webinars are available. SACSCOC webinars are free and publicly available without restriction.
    • The Substantive Change Policy and Procedures is the guiding document for SACSCOC’s roll in PEP reviews and approvals. PEP requirements continue to evolve; monitor the substantive change policy for new or different requirements.
    • The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has a comprehensive and regularly updated PEP questions and answers webpage for your reference.

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:

  • Substantive Change Policy Revision – December 2024
    Contingent on SACSCOC Board of Trustees approval
    Early January 2025: Registration details forthcoming; please check back
  • How to Write a Prospectus
    January / February 2025: Registration details forthcoming; please check back

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

On-demand webinars:

Documents and Templates