Reaffirmation is a comprehensive review process that institutions undergo every ten years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) region. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The Reaffirmation process is comprised of three main parts:
- Preparation of a comprehensive Compliance Certification report which is reviewed by an off-site Committee of institutional peers from the SACSCOC region
- Preparation of a focused report to address specific questions of the off-site reviewers and submission of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
- Completion of an on-site review by an on-site Committee of institutional peers from the SACSCOC region. The full process of Reaffirmation takes approximately 24 months to complete
Baylor College of Medicine was awarded a Differentiated Review for this upcoming reaffirmation. The Compliance Certification report is due to SACSCOC in September 2025, the on-site review will occur in March 2026. Reaffirmation is anticipated to be completed in December 2026 at the SACSCOC Annual Meeting. Baylor College of Medicine’s Reaffirmation efforts are led by the Office of Accreditation and Education Effectiveness.
Institutions accredited by SACSCOC must demonstrate compliance with the standards for accreditation as contained in The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, and with the policies and procedures of the Commission.
For Baylor College of Medicine’s 2026 Reaffirmation, compliance must be demonstrated with standards pertaining to:
Institutional integrity
- Standard 1.1 - Integrity
Mission
- Standard 2.1 – Institutional mission
Governing Board
- Standard 4.1 – Governing board characteristics
- Standard 4.2.d – Conflict of interest
- Standard 4.2.f – External influence
- Standard 4.2.g – Board self-evaluation
- Standard 4.3 – Multi-level governance
Administration and organization
- Standard 5.1 – Chief executive officer
- Standard 5.2.a – CEO control
- Standard 5.2.b – Control of intercollegiate athletics
- Standard 5.2.c – Control of fund-raising activities
- Standard 5.4 – Qualified administrative/academic officers
Faculty
- Standard 6.1 – Full-time faculty
- Standard 6.2.a – Faculty qualifications
- Standard 6.2.b – Program faculty
- Standard 6.2.c – Program coordination
Institutional Planning and Effectiveness
- Standard 7.1 – Institutional planning
- Standard 7.2 – Quality Enhancement Plan
Student Achievement
- Standard 8.1 – Student achievement
- Standard 8.2.a – Student outcomes: educational programs
Educational Program Structure and Content
- Standard 9.1 – Program content
- Standard 9.2 – Program length
- Standard 9.3 – General educational requirements
Educational Policies, Procedures and Practices
- Standard 10.2 – Public information
- Standard 10.5 – Admissions policies and practices
- Standard 10.6 – Distance and correspondence education
- Standard 10.7 – Policies for awarding credit
Library and Learning/Information Resources
- Standard 11.1 – Library and learning/information resources
Academic and Student Support Services
- Standard 12.1 – Student support services
- Standard 12.4 – Student complaints
- Standard 12.6 – Student debt
Financial and Physical Resources
- Standard 13.1 – Financial resources
- Standard 13.2 – Financial documents
- Standard 13.3 – Financial responsibility
- Standard 13.6 – Federal and state responsibilities
- Standard 13.7 – Physical resources
Transparency and Institutional Representation
- Standard 14.1 – Publication of accreditation status
- Standard 14.3 – Comprehensive institutional reviews
- Standard 14.4 – Representation to other agencies
- Standard 14.5 – Policy compliance
Reaffirmation Kick-Off
The Office of Accreditation and Education Effectiveness (OAEE) will hold a SACSCOC Kick-Off event in preparation for BCM’s SACSCOC site visit in 2026. Jennifer Christer, senior dean of the School Of Medicine and School of Health Professions, and Ricky Mercado, Director of the Office of Accreditation and Education Effectiveness, will give a college-wide presentation about SACSCOC from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in McMillian Auditorium. All are welcome.
Schedules and Timeline
- Fall 2024: SACSCOC Kickoff
- July 2024 – February 2026: QEP Development
- March 2024 – July 2025: Collect, Analyze & Review of Narratives
- Summer 2025: Leadership Review of Narratives
- July – September 2025: Compliance Certificate Development
- Sept. 8, 2025: Compliance Certificate Due
- Nov. 4 – 7, 2025: Off-Site Peer Review Conducted
- Feb. 10, 2026: QEP Due
- March 24 - 26, 2026: On-Site Peer Review
- December 2026: Baylor College of Medicine’s Reaffirmation Announced
For questions relating to Baylor College of Medicine 2026 Reaffirmation, please email Accreditation@bcm.edu.
