ACCREDITATION

The Higher Learning Commission

The Community College of Aurora is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), an independent corporation founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions by evaluating each institution as a whole. The evaluation covers formal educational activities, student academic achievement, governance and administration, financial stability, resources, admissions and student personnel services, organizational effectiveness, and relationships with outside constituencies.

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The HLC can be contacted at the following:

230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, Illinois 60604-1413
Phone: 800-621-7440 or 312-263-0456
Fax: 312-263-7462
Email: [email protected]

CCA and HLC Accreditation

CCA has been accredited by the HLC since 1988. The college submits annual updates to the HLC and has two comprehensive evaluations each ten years, the last one in 2016 and the next one in 2023. These evaluations are for continued accreditation and include short visits to the college by an HLC team and the submission of an electronic Assurance Argument and related documents including a Federal Compliance report that provide evidence that CCA continues to meet the HLC criteria for accreditation.

The HLC also makes a visit every five years to evaluate if CCA is providing the necessary level of oversight to our additional locations. These are locations physically separate from our CentreTech campus where students can earn 50 percent or more of the credits needed for a degree or certificate. They are primarily high schools where the college offers concurrent enrollment classes.

The Commission also evaluates and approves substantial changes the college proposes such as new degrees, certificates, and locations.

Additional Accreditation

The college discloses accurately to the public and the HLC its relationship with any specialized, professional, or institutional accreditor and with all governing or coordinating bodies in states in which CCA has a presence. CCA does not hold any specialized accreditation with a single agency that covers one-third or more of either the college’s offerings or its students. The following CCA programs are accredited/approved by special agencies:

Paralegal – The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals.

Emergency Medical ServicesThe Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).

Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy – The Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board for Colorado law enforcement officer certification training.

HEERF Act Reporting

The Department of Education awarded a portion of funding through a grant to the Community College of Aurora to support students with various expenses during the COVID-19 crisis.

CCA Guidelines

CCA guidelines describe policies and procedures used at CCA for finance, human resources, instruction, student affairs and general institutional practices. The guidelines are designed to address frequently asked questions, help orient new staff members and provide guidance on a range of practices that are critical to CCA’s operations.