Title IV Program Responsibilities

As an institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, one of the responsibilities of The Commission on Colleges and Universities is to serve as a gatekeeper for federal financial aid programs governed by title IV of the Higher Education Act, as amended (title IV HEA). The Principles of Accreditation, the governing accreditation standards for all member institutions, expects institutions to maintain compliance with Standard 13.6 (Federal and state responsibilities).

In accord with 34 CFR § 602.16 (b), an applicant institution is required to notify The Commission in writing if it does not intend to participate in title IV HEA programs. All subsequent awards of candidacy or accreditation status will note whether an institution has requested not to participate in title IV HEA programs in its accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation.

All candidate or accredited institutions are obligated to verify their participation in title IV HEA programs at the time of Initial Candidacy/Accreditation review, Reaffirmation review, Fifth-Year Interim review, and Substantive Changes for Merger/Consolidations/Acquisitions and Level Changes. Also, the institution must notify The Commission of any changes to their participation status. Institutions that participate in title IV HEA programs must comply with all program responsibilities under title IV of the most recent Higher Education Act as amended and provide documentation required for verification of compliance with Standard 13.6 (Federal and state responsibilities) of the Principles of Accreditation in all reports that require a response to this standard.

Institutions that do not participate in title IV HEA programs are not required to document compliance with Standard 13.6 (Federal and state responsibilities) of the Principles of Accreditation as it relates to federal student aid programs. For additional information related to institutional obligations related to provisional certification, see The Commission Substantive Change Policy and Procedures.

Institutions are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of their participation in title IV HEA programs on the Institutional Portal. Institutions also should verify their participation status on the Institutional Summary Form submitted at the time of Initial Candidacy/Accreditation review, Reaffirmation review, Fifth-Year Interim review, and Substantive Changes for Merger/Consolidations/Acquisitions and Level Changes.