Institutional Update
HLC requires member and candidate institutions to provide annual updates on organizational health through the Institutional Update. The 2022 Institutional Update is now available in Canopy, and submissions are due March 28.
Documents and Worksheets
Accessing Canopy and the Institutional Update
This year institutions will submit their Institutional Update data in Canopy, a new online system for HLC member institutions to manage their accreditation records. As in the previous Institutional Update System, the institution’s Chief Executive Officer, Accreditation Liaison Officer, Data Update Coordinator and Chief Financial Officer will have access to the Update in Canopy. Individuals in each of these roles received their Canopy account information in January or February 2022.
The Institutional Update can be accessed in the system from the Quick Links or Tasks section of the institution dashboard, or under the Institution section of the main menu. Because multiple individuals will be able to edit the Institutional Update at the same time, users should coordinate their work to ensure they do not overwrite each other’s changes.
For technical support, please complete the Canopy Help Request Form.
New in the 2022 Institutional Update
Student Achievement Data
HLC has clarified its instructions regarding the student achievement data that institutions are required to publish on their websites. For purposes of the Institutional Update:
- Student achievement information must include, at a minimum, retention, completion, licensure exam pass rates (as applicable), and data about students after graduation (such as graduate school, employment, etc.). It may also include information appropriate for the mission of the institution and its goals for all students.
- Data may be provided at the institutional or departmental level or both, but the institution must disclose data that address the broad variety of its programs, including at the undergraduate and graduate levels as applicable.
See page 17 of the Institutional Update Guide for further details.
Mark of Accreditation Status Domain
The Institutional Information section of the Update includes a new field for institutions to provide the domain of the webpage where they publish HLC’s Mark of Accreditation Status, if it is different from their main website domain.
Simplified Data Collection
HLC has simplified some sections of the Institutional Update survey. Institutions will no longer be required to:
- Provide postal mailing addresses for institutional contacts.
- Provide Title IV eligibility or academic program information for additional locations.
- Review and confirm their stipulation for distance and correspondence education.
How HLC Uses the Information Submitted in the Institutional Update
Information provided to HLC in the Institutional Update serves multiple purposes.
- Some information is used to update the Statement of Accreditation Status that is posted in HLC’s Directory of Institutions.
- Certain financial and non-financial indicators of organizational health are reviewed to determine whether there are any trends that suggest HLC follow-up.
- Some information is collected and monitored in compliance with federal requirements.
- Student enrollment data are used to calculate HLC membership dues.
Note: Some changes to information in the Institutional Update may require review through HLC’s policies and procedures on substantive change. This may be the case for changes to the institution’s active additional locations or branch campuses, or to its contractual arrangements.
Looking Ahead
In an effort to present a more complete picture of the offerings at member institutions, HLC is exploring the feasibility of collecting information regarding institutional program offerings and publishing them in the Institutional Status and Requirements (ISR) Report. More information about this project will be available in the coming years.
Questions?
If you have questions about the content of the Institutional Update, contact HLC at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you need technical support with Canopy, please complete the Canopy Help Request Form.