The University of New Mexico has been continuously accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association since 1922.

View the Accreditation Archives. 

Open Pathway Process

In 2012 the HLC rolled out a significant revision to the accreditation process. The new process, called “Pathways,” is based on a ten-year cycle.  As part of the roll-out of the new process, UNM was placed in the Open Pathway, the model that is for mature institutions that are in good standing with the HLC.  

The Open Pathway includes two components:

  1. The assurance process, which ensures that the institution meets all of the accreditation criteria, and 
  2. The quality process, which encourages continuous improvement. 

The assurance process includes standard annual reporting, and two assurance reviews: an asynchronous review without a site visit in Year 4 and a comprehensive review that includes a site visit Year 10. The Quality Initiative process occurs between Years 5 and 9 of the ten-year cycle in which the institution proposes, implements, and reports on the quality initiative.