Every few months, I hear the same refrain echoing through higher education circles: “SACSCOC won’t let us accept those transfer credits.”

Let’s stop right there. Because once again, we’re confusing law with lore.

What the Law Actually Says

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) does not dictate which credits an institution must accept. Read that again.

SACSCOC’s Principles of Accreditation require that institutions have clear, published, and consistently applied policies for evaluating and awarding transfer credit. But those policies are yours, crafted, approved, and implemented by your institution.

Here’s the actual language from the Principles:
Standard 10.8 says: “The institution publishes policies for evaluating, awarding and accepting credit not originating from the institution. The institution ensures (a) the academic quality of any credit or coursework recorded on its transcript, (b) an approval process with oversight 24by persons academically qualified to make the necessary judgments, and (c) the credit awarded is comparable to a designated credit experience and is consistent with the institution’s mission.” (Evaluating and Awarding External Academic Credits)

Further, you can read more information in our Board’s Position Paper on Transfer of Academic Credit here, https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2019/08/transfer-credit.pdf.

In practice, that means SACSCOC expects your institution to:

• Have a policy, not improvise case by case.
• Apply it consistently so students are treated equitably.
• Publish it transparently so students and sending institutions can understand your rules of the road.

But the decision to accept a credit, or not, is entirely up to you. That’s not an accreditation regulation; that’s institutional autonomy in action.

“SACSCOC protects academic integrity, not academic inflexibility.”

Where the Lore Comes From

Over the years, a kind of urban legend has taken hold: “We can’t do that because of SACSCOC.”

In reality, the Commission’s role is not to determine whether a course transfers—it’s to ensure that your process for evaluating transfer credit is fair, documented, and transparent.

Your faculty and academic leadership are the ones who determine equivalency based on your curriculum and standards rather than the accreditor.

So when someone blames “SACSCOC policy” for a transfer denial, it’s worth pausing to ask: Is that really the law or just the lore talking?

Law vs Lore?

✅ Law: Institutions must have and follow a published policy for evaluating and awarding transfer credit.

❌ Lore: SACSCOC decides which transfer credits your institution can or cannot accept.

The Pruitt Perspective

At SACSCOC, our mission is to uphold quality, not to limit opportunity. We believe strong, transparent institutional policies make transfer simpler, fairer, and more student-centered.

The next time someone says, “SACSCOC won’t let us,” take a moment to check the facts. Call or email us, we want to help. Chances are, the Commission isn’t the barrier, it’s just the scapegoat.

Let’s keep clearing away the lore so the law, and the learning, can shine through.