Accreditation Status

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the accrediting body for higher education institutions in the southern United States and Latin America.  Reaffirmation of accreditation occurs every 10 years and is critical to our university’s reputation and ability to recruit students and ensure their acceptance to graduate program, access federal grants, and receive federal financial aid.

High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. High Point University also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of High Point University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4097, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

When an institution wants to initiate a new doctoral (DMD or DDS) program, the school is required to submit a comprehensive document and application for initial accreditation that outlines how they will address the accreditation standards. The accreditation standards established by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) are expectations all dental programs must fulfill to ensure they are graduating competent oral healthcare providers to preserve public safety. The application document and supplemental appendices are reviewed by a select number of oral health practitioners who determine whether the program has sufficiently met the CODA accreditation standards and should have a pre-enrollment site visit. The site visit includes an in-depth review, discussion, and evaluation of the initial accreditation application with a team of CODA personnel and oral health practitioners. Following the visit, a report is developed from the site visit team that is then shared with the CODA Commission of appointed practitioners who review the materials and vote on whether to grant “initial accreditation” for the program.

Following first site visit, the program is required to have their second CODA site visit in the spring of the second year of the curriculum implementation and follows a similar process to accreditation site visits for all programs that have full accreditation. Prior to the visit, the program is required to submit a comprehensive document and supplemental appendices demonstrating their compliance with the current CODA standards. The documents are reviewed by a team of CODA personnel and oral health practitioners and additional documentation may be requested before the visit. During the site visit, the team meets with administrators, faculty, staff, and learners to evaluate their compliance with CODA standards and their progression of programmatic development. Following the visit, a report is developed from the site visit team that is then shared with the CODA Commission of appointed practitioners who review the materials and vote on whether to continue “initial accreditation” for the program.

A repeated process occurs for the third site visit, which occurs in the spring of the fourth year of curriculum implementation. Following the visit, a report is developed from the site visit team that is then shared with the CODA Commission of appointed practitioners who review the materials and vote on whether to grant “full accreditation” for the program. The program will then follow the standard seven year accreditation site visit process as all other programs.

Program accreditation status can include the following designations:

• Approval without reporting requirements – the educational program achieves or exceeds basic requirements for accreditation
• Approval with reporting requirements – the educational program has identified deficiencies in one or more areas and must provide evidence of compliance within eighteen months of the visit
• Intent to withdraw – a formal warning is issued that a program’s accreditation will be withdrawn if compliance with accreditation standards or policies cannot be demonstrated by a specific date
• Withdraw – the Commission has determined a program has been unable to demonstrate compliance with the accreditation standards or policies within the time period specified (students currently enrolled will be considered graduates of an accredited program)
• Initial accreditation – the developing educational program has the potential for meeting the accreditation standards
• Teach out – the educational program is in the process of voluntarily terminating its accreditation due to a planned discontinuance or program closure
• Discontinued – an educational program has affirmed the continue is no longer in operation
• Denial – the Commission denies accreditation to a program that has applied for accreditation

Prior to the site visit, the program must solicit third-party comments through appropriate notification of communities of interests and the public such as faculty, students, program administrators, dental-related organizations, patients, and consumers at least ninety (90) days prior to their site visit.

You can submit a comment by emailing or calling CODA. The deadline for receipt of third-party comments in the Commission office is 60 days prior to the site visit. Comments must pertain only to the standards for the particular program or policies and procedures used in the Commission’s accreditation process. A copy of the appropriate accreditation standards and/or the Commission’s policy on third party comments may be obtained by contacting the Commission by calling (312) 440-4653 or via email to the appropriate Commission staff. Comments should not be sent to the Commission office via the US Postal Service.

All comments submitted must pertain only to the standards relative to the particular program being reviewed or policies and procedures used in the accreditation process. Comments will be screened by Commission staff for relevancy. For comments not relevant to these issues, the individual will be notified that the comment is not related to accreditation and, where appropriate, referred to the appropriate agency. For those individuals who are interested in submitting comments, requests can be made to the Commission office for receiving standards and/or the Commission’s Evaluation & Operational Policies & Procedures manual.

All relevant comments will have signatures removed and will then be referred to the program at least 50 days prior to the site visit for review and response. Negative comments received after the established deadline of 60 days prior to the site visit will be handled as a complaint.

A complaint is defined by the Commission on Dental Accreditation as one alleging that a Commission-accredited educational program, a program which has an application for initial accreditation pending, or the Commission may not be in substantial compliance with Commission standards or required accreditation procedures.

A “formal” complaint is defined as a complaint filed in written (or electronic) form and signed by the complainant. This complaint should outline the specific policy, procedure or standard in question and rationale for the complaint including specific documentation or examples. Complainants who submit complaints verbally will receive direction to submit a formal complaint to the Commission in written, signed form following guidelines in the EOPP manual.

Students, faculty, constituent dental societies, state boards of dentistry, patients, and other interested parties may submit an appropriate, signed, formal complaint to the Commission on Dental Accreditation regarding any Commission accredited dental, allied dental or advanced dental education program, or a program that has an application for initial accreditation pending. An appropriate complaint is one that directly addresses a program’s compliance with the Commission’s standards, policies and procedures. The Commission is interested in the continued improvement and sustained quality of dental and dental-related education programs but does not intervene on behalf of individuals or act as a court of appeal for treatment received by patients or individuals in matters of admission, appointment, promotion or dismissal of faculty, staff or students.

In accord with its responsibilities to determine compliance with accreditation standards, policies, and procedures, the Commission does not intervene in complaints as a mediator but maintains, at all times, an investigative role. This investigative approach to complaints does not require that the complainant be identified to the program.

An “anonymous comment/complaint” is defined as an unsigned comment/complaint submitted to the Commission. Any submitted information that identifies the complainant renders this submission a formal complaint and will be reviewed as such (e.g. inclusion of a complainant’s name within an email or submitted documentation).

All anonymous complaints will be reviewed by Commission staff to determine linkage to Accreditation Standards or CODA policy and procedures. If further investigation is warranted, the anonymous complaint will be handled as a formal complaint (See Formal Complaints); however, due to the anonymous nature of the submission, the Commission will not correspond with the complainant.

Anonymous comments/complaints determined to be unrelated to an Accreditation Standard or CODA policies and procedures will not be considered. Anonymous comments/complaints that do not provide sufficient evidence of probable cause of noncompliance with the standard(s) or required accreditation policy(ies), or procedure(s) to proceed, will not be considered.

Related to complaints directed at the Commission on Dental Accreditation, interested parties may submit an appropriate, signed complaint to the Commission on Dental Accreditation regarding Commission policy(ies), procedure(s) or the implementation thereof. The Commission will determine whether the information submitted constitutes an appropriate complaint and will follow up according to the established procedures.

Review the documents available for download:

Guidelines for Filing a Formal Complaint Against an Educational Program (PDF)
Complaint Policy (PDF)