Fairmont State University is excited about the upcoming on-site visit by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in April 2027. During that time, a team of peer reviews will visit with multiple areas of the University to verify that Fairmont State is continuing to meet HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation. To assist the campus community in preparing for the visit, the following resources are available and will be updated throughout the next year.
Whether you are a student, faculty, or staff, there are multiple ways you can assist the University as it prepares for its HLC Visit in April 2027. Stay engaged throughout the year, and check this website, your Fairmont State email, and the Falcon Flyer for important information related to accreditation. If you have any questions about HLC or the visit, please contact Lindsey Guinn, Executive Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Lindsey.Guinn@fairmontstate.edu or Jason McCoy, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Services at Jason.McCoy@fairmontstate.edu.
There are multiple components of the Comprehensive Evaluation, including a wide-ranging assurance argument, a Federal compliance review filing, a student opinion survey, and an on-site visit. These parts of the Comprehensive Evaluation will occur throughout 2025, 2026, and 2027. Learn more about HLC's Comprehensive Evaluation practices on their site.
An Assurance Argument is Fairmont State’s opportunity to provide HLC with substantive documentation and narratives demonstrating how the University meets the Criteria for Accreditation. Through its Assurance Argument, Fairmont State tells the story of how we have improved over the last decade and continue to improve into the 2020s and beyond.
To build its Assurance Argument, work groups comprised of faculty, staff, and students from across the University community have been formed to develop responses and evidence appropriate for addressing each of HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation. Each work group sets its own workflow and agendas for accomplishing its charge.
A peer review visit is meant to verify that facts, documents, and claims presented in Fairmont State’s Assurance Argument are true. During the visit, a small group of outside evaluators chosen by HLC will physically visit with stakeholders across the University to validate the Assurance Argument and learn more about how Fairmont State is attempting to meet HLC’s criteria.
