Accreditation

University of Minnesota Morris Accreditation

The University of Minnesota Morris is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Morris's latest comprehensive evaluation occurred during 2019-20.

Professional accreditation for elementary and secondary teacher preparation has been granted by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Minnesota Board of Teaching.

Accreditation Criteria

Accreditation Process

Open Pathway

UMN Morris is on the Open Pathway for maintaining accreditation with HLC, which follows a 10-year review cycle.

The Open Pathway process is focused on quality assurance and institutional improvement, which includes the Quality Initiative. This initiative allows UMN Morris to pursue improvement projects that are targeted toward our needs and aspirations.

The 10-year review cycle includes four types of institutional reviews:

  1. An annual Institutional Update, which is reviewed by HLC to:
    • monitor institutional health,
    • ensure compliance with certain federal requirements
    • identify any changes that may require HLC follow-up
  2. An Assurance Review in Year 4 of the cycle documents that the institution continues to meet the HLC Criteria for Accreditation. A peer review team evaluates the materials and makes the appropriate recommendation to the HLC Institutional Actions Council for further review and potential action.
  3. The Quality Initiative project is designed and completed in Years 5-9 of the cycle. A peer review team evaluates the proposal and the outcomes report for this process.
  4. Year 10 of the cycle marks the Comprehensive Evaluation process in which the institution completes the “Assurance Argument.” This report, which is also evaluated by a peer review team, is completed to ensure that the Criteria for Accreditation are met. This report also requires documentation to ensure the institution is complying with U.S. Department of Education requirements. This review involves a site visit by the peer review team, which occurred at UMN Morris in October 2019.

    Read about how we addressed each of the five HLC criteria in our weekly newsletters.