Substantive Changes

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Upcoming dates and deadlines

  • July 1, 2021:  Deadline to submit substantive changes to be implemented January 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, requiring approval by the Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees.
  • September 1, 2021:  Deadline to submit substantive changes requiring approval by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees in December 2021. 

The type of substantive change, the institution’s sanction status, and the institution’s Substantive Change Restriction status determine if a change requires notification, approval by the Executive Council of the Board Trustees (year-around) or approval by the full Board Trustees at a regularly scheduled biannual meeting (June or December). Carefully review the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures for details and guidance.

Updates and announcements

  • The Board of Trustees approved minor revisions and technical corrections to the Substantive Change Policy and Procedures in March 2021 following the major revision of the policy in December 2020.  (Click “Reload” in your browser to ensure you are reading the most recent version.)
    • A list of March 2021 revisions is available on p. 85 of the policy, “Appendix C:  Summary of Recent Changes.”
    • A redline version of the March 2021 revisions is available on the SACSCOC website until May 18, 2021.
    • A 90-minute video [MP4] and handout [PDF], recorded at the 2020 SACSCOC Annual Meeting, provide an overview of new and revised substantive change obligations in the revised policy.
  • For submissions requiring approval, we caution against sending by U.S. Postal Service.  This is due to increasingly long and unreliable deliveries.  With all delivery services, delivery confirmation is recommended.
  • Monitor the Coronavirus and SACSCOC webpage for new information and developments.
  • If the Coronavirus will delay implementation of an approved substantive change more than two years after approval, you may request an extension by submitting an Implementation Extension Request Due to COVID-19.

Substantive change policy and related policies

Webinars

Upcoming webinars:

  • Substantive Change Restriction
    Friday, June 18, 2021, 12:00 noon ET
    This webinar covers the new Substantive Change Restriction status that creates additional or different substantive change requirements for institutions meeting defined criteria.
    Register

On-demand webinars :

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