The Higher Learning Commission notified The University of New Mexico that its accreditation has been reaffirmed for 10 years, until the 2028-29 academic year. UNM has been continuously accredited through the HLC since 1922.
The decision was made by the HLC’s Institutional Actions Council (IAC) during their meeting on July 29. It comes five months after UNM completed its most recent comprehensive evaluation on March 4-5. A team of peer reviewers—faculty and administrators from other HLC-accredited institutions—conducted the March site visit and review of UNM’s accreditation materials. The vote by the IAC affirms the quality of UNM’s academic programs, teaching, research, and the student services and infrastructure that support the academic mission.
Provost James Holloway said, “UNM is very pleased with the outcome of the HLC accreditation process. Our institutional accreditation has been continued for a decade, and at the same time the critical self-reflection of the process has given us good ideas for continued improvement of the university. It was also gratifying to see the peer review team confirm my sense as the incoming provost that, as the review team said, 'transparency and responsiveness have been a hallmark' of current leadership actions. I offer my sincere thanks to all those who worked so hard on this process over the last few years, especially Associate Provost Pamela Cheek, and our Accreditation Manager, Joseph Suilmann."
The comprehensive evaluation also included site visits of the Gallup and Taos branch campuses. Both campuses received positive reviews on all seven categories of evaluation.
UNM met all 21 core components in the five criteria for accreditation and fully satisfied all components related to teaching, learning, research, compliance, evaluation, resources, facilities, and diversity. Three of those components that were “met with concerns” will require follow-up reporting to verify that UNM continues to make progress on issues related to governance and financial oversight. The action letter from the HLC can be found on hlc2019.unm.edu along with the final report from the site visit team.
The Higher Learning Commission is one of six regional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, encompassing 19 states, including New Mexico.