Purdue earns 10-year accreditation from Higher Learning Commission

Purdue University has received formal notification of its continued 10-year, unrestricted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Purdue was approved to select an Open Pathway for the next reaccreditation process and no monitoring requirements were attached to the approval.

This designation comes after a lengthy process that included a written self-study with input from a large number of Purdue faculty and staff and an extensive site visit from an HLC external review team in October 2019. Purdue has been accredited continually since 1913 and will be evaluated again in 2029-30.

The external review team report noted that Purdue has maintained its mission as a land-grant institution established under the Morrill Act. The report stated: “The University’s current mission statement, ‘Providing Higher Education at the Highest Proven Value’ is grounded in the original charge.”

“Once every 10 years, the University is asked to take a comprehensive look at itself and assess how well we’re living up to our land-grant mission of providing access to a high quality education for  our students, engaging with our  our varied communities and contributing to the creation of knowledge,” said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “I’m pleased the Higher Learning Commission has reaffirmed Purdue’s excellence in each of these areas.”

In preparation for the review, IDA+A (Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment) staff collected input from the campus and drafted a self-study to address five HLC criteria:

• Clear mission that guides the institution.
• Integrity, ethical, and responsible conduct.
• Teaching and learning — quality, resources and support.
• Teaching and learning — evaluation and improvement.
• Resources, planning and institutional effectiveness.

The draft self-study was then made available to the entire campus for feedback and then finalized.

As part of its report, the external review team praised the ongoing work at Purdue in all areas: “As an institution of higher learning dedicated to the creation/acquisition/discovery/dissemination/ application and evaluation of knowledge, Purdue demonstrates commitment to students and to faculty.” The team also noted the extraordinary contributions of Purdue staff who support educational excellence.

“The extensive reaccreditation review process was truly a team effort involving cross-campus collaboration at all levels, and I thank everyone who was directly involved in the process and/or took the time to contribute and participate,” Akridge said. “Our HLC accreditation is something for us all to take pride in, as it reflects Purdue’s tradition of excellence for the past 150 years and our commitment to supporting the next giant leaps of all Boilermakers.”