Assessment of academic programs ensures that Iowa State University is providing excellence in all academic areas. Iowa State University goes through accreditation and program review processes on a regular basis to ensure excellence in program quality.

Accreditation

Iowa State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Letter (PDF)

Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Visit: March 30-31, 2026

This spring, Iowa State University will host a review team from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), our institutional accreditor, as the final stage in our 10-year accreditation cycle. 

HLC will be evaluating the university as a whole, using four criteria to verify the quality of the institution, and the education we offer our students.

In preparation for this visit, the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost has been working for the past two years with more than 50 faculty, staff, and students to compile our institutional Assurance Argument. The Assurance Argument is an institutional self-study of sorts and is a 35,000-word document, with over 300 pieces of evidence, illustrating the full scope of the institution and demonstrating how we meet the HLC Criteria for Accreditation. In preparation for a second component of the accreditation reaffirmation process-demonstrating compliance with federal requirements-we have also collected more than 7000 course syllabi to demonstrate compliance with student contact requirements. The federal compliance filing also includes information on student privacy, verification of student identity, standing with state authorization, and more. We will submit these documents to an additional reviewer, who looks over them ahead of a campus visit.

The campus visit will take place on March 30-31, 2026. This one-and-a-half-day event will provide the review team time to meet with campus stakeholders to learn more about Iowa State and our mission. The site visit will include numerous meetings requested by the HLC review team with campus groups (leadership, Board of Regents, students) as well as opportunities for campus at large to participate in open forums.

Open Forum Participation

Three open forums are scheduled where each of the HLC accreditation criteria will be discussed. Broad campus representation at these open forums is important as we all have experiences that intersect with each of the HLC Criteria for Accreditation, every member of the campus community is invited and encouraged to participate.

Open forums take the form of a “reverse panel discussion”: the review team will be at the front of the room and pose questions to the attendees. Attendees are encouraged to participate and answer the review team’s questions from their perspective. 

How to Prepare for an Open Forum

Open Forum Information and Criteria for Accreditation

This criterion allows Iowa State to demonstrate how its community lives out its mission, how actions align with the mission, how Iowa State serves the public good, and how the university participates in civic engagement in a globally connected world.

Note: Criteria 1& 2 will be discussed at the same open forum.

Questions to consider:

  • How does your role support Iowa State’s, as well as your college/department/unit’s, mission and strategic plan?
  • How do you and your colleagues make decisions with the mission in mind?
  • What specific examples do you observe that Iowa State lives its mission?
  • How does your role at the university contribute to the public good?
  • How do Iowa State’s mission and strategic plan support civic engagement in a globally connected world?

Criteria 1 & 2 Open Forum Information Sheet 

Open Forum on Criteria 1 (Mission) and Criteria 2 (Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct)
March 30th: 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Campanile Room
Click Here to RSVP for Open Forum Criteria 1 & 2

This criterion includes five topics that addresses how Iowa State operates and is governed responsibly and transparently while executing the strategic plan. This includes content on institutional websites, how the institution follows policy and procedures, and ensures ethical conduct.

Note: Criteria 1& 2 will be discussed at the same open forum.

Questions to consider:

  • How do you ensure that you act ethically and responsibly in your role at Iowa State?
  • How have you seen university policy guide academic honesty and integrity, on both the part of students and faculty?
  • Describe how your role and duties are transparently reflected to the campus community and public.
  • How do you ensure that information shared with students and families accurately reflects the real-life, lived experience Iowa State students?

Criteria 1 & 2 Open Forum Information Sheet 

Open Forum on Criteria 1 (Mission) and Criteria 2 (Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct)
March 30th: 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Campanile Room
Click Here to RSVP for Open Forum Criteria 1 & 2

This criterion covers a wide range of topics related to teaching and learning including information about faculty and staff qualifications; assessment of student learning; learning opportunities outside of the classroom; program review; student support services; co-curricular experiences; and more.  

Questions to consider:

  • How do you ‘close the feedback loop’ when assessing outcomes and continuous improvement in your course/program/unit? How do you use this information to restart the feedback loop?
  • How do you gather, interpret, and utilize data to contribute to teaching, learning, and student success at Iowa State?
  • How has the institution supported your professional development and career goals? 
  • How does your role contribute to student learning, retention, and graduation for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at the institution?
  • How do student retention efforts at Iowa State align with the mission?
  • How has the program review process in your unit influenced the continuous improvement of your students’ educational experience or your employment experience?
  • In what ways does Iowa State ensure rigor in the curriculum? (Across learning modalities, in transfer credit it accepts, at different levels of coursework, etc.)

Criterion 3 Open Forum Information Sheet 

Open Forum on Criterion 3 (Teaching and Learning for Student Success)
March 30th: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Campanile Room
Click Here to RSVP for Open Forum Criterion 3

This criterion evaluates the university’s ability to fulfill its mission in both short- and long-term execution, focusing on fiscal stability, resources, effective future planning, and administrative processes.

Questions to consider:

  • What makes Iowa State’s shared governance models exemplary? 
  • Discuss the resource allocation philosophy at Iowa State and within your unit. 
  • How are various planning processes at the institution (financial, technology, academic, strategic) integrated with each other at Iowa State?
  • In what ways does the institution seek to continuously improve?

Criterion 4 Open Forum Information Sheet 

Open Forum on Criterion 4 (Sustainability: Institutional Effectiveness, Resources, and Planning)
March 31st: 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Memorial Union, Room 2630
Click Here to RSVP for Open Forum Criterion 4

Academic Program Review

Per Iowa Board of Regents policy, academic programs undergo a program review every seven years. The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost coordinates the scheduling of reviews with the academic colleges. See information on the process, timelines, and reporting expectations.

For questions or more information contact: