Accreditation

The College of Coastal Georgia adheres to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges’ (SACSCOC) policy on Institutional Obligations for Public Disclosure that states, “A candidate or accredited SACSCOC institution is obligated to provide to its students, constituents, and the public information about itself that is complete, accurate, timely, accessible, clear and sufficient.”

Part 1: “The institution’s current catalogue describes the institution consistent with its mission statement and sets forth the obligations and responsibilities of both students and the institution. Institutions relying on electronic catalogues ensure the availability of archival editions sufficient to serve the needs of alumni and former and returning students.”

The College of Coastal Georgia’s Catalog describes the institution consistent with its mission statement and sets forth the obligations and responsibilities of both students and the institution. Archival electronic editions are available on the Catalog web page dating back to the 2007-08 academic year.

Part 2: “All forms of print and electronic communications officially representing the institution are consistent with catalogue content and accurately portray the conditions and opportunities available at the institution.”

The College’s catalog serves as the official document to provide foundational content for all print and web communications. All official printed and electronic publications adhere to the College’s visual identity standards guidelines to ensure consistency in design and presentation.

The Office of Advancement meets with faculty and staff responsible for creating content via web and addresses e-newsletters, printed publications, and social media to ensure that material accurately reflects the institution.

Direct questions relating to web content and other print and electronic communications questions to the Office of Advancement.

Part 3: “The institution publishes the locations and programs available at branch campuses and other off-campus instructional locations, including those overseas operations at which students can enroll for a degree, along with a description of the programs and services available at each location.”

The College operates the Camden Center, located in Kingsland, Georgia, just a few miles north of the Florida border, which provides a regular schedule of day and evening classes for the convenience of Camden and Charlton counties, as well as Duval and Nassau counties (Florida) students attending the College of Coastal Georgia. Classes span the core courses for business, education, the humanities and social sciences, math, and the natural sciences.

A second off-campus instructional site in downtown Brunswick serves as a teaching kitchen/laboratory for the College’s Culinary Arts program.

Information about the Camden Center is available on the Camden Center webpage and in the catalog.

Part 4: “The institution publishes statements of its goals for student achievement and the success of students in achieving those goals. Information on student success may include reliable information in retention, graduation, course completion, licensure examinations, and job placement rates and other measures of student success appropriate to institutional mission.”

The College of Coastal Georgia monitors a variety of measures of student achievement, including student enrollment, retention, and degrees conferred. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness annually publishes an electronic fact book and maintains a student achievement measures web page. Direct questions about this requirement to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Part 5: “The institution has readily available valid documentation for any statements and promises regarding such matters as program excellence, learning outcomes, success in placement, and achievements of graduates or faculty.”

The College of Coastal Georgia discloses and provides documentation to support statements regarding program excellence, learning outcomes, and student success. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness provides and maintains data about outcomes on the Consumer Information web page and also collects and disseminates NSSE and graduating student survey results. Furthermore, the College’s catalog publishes general education core student learning outcomes. Another measure of program excellence is the fact that several Coastal Georgia academic programs are recognized by specialized accrediting organizations; those programs are listed on the Specialized Accreditation web page and in the College’s Catalog – General Information under “Accreditation” section.

Schools track and maintain data on student achievement with respect to national test or licensure results, including the Departments of Health Sciences and Nursing for NCLEX pass rates and the Department of Education and Teacher Preparation for GACE pass rates.

In terms of achievements, faculty members are highly competent and qualified, committed to academic excellence, scholarship and service. The College’s News & Events web page contains feature articles highlighting successes and achievements of our faculty and staff.

For a detailed listing of scholarly activities, contact the desired department or send a request to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Part 6: “The institution is expected (1) to be accurate in reporting to the public its status with SACSCOC and (2) to publish the name of its primary accreditor and its address and phone number in accordance with federal requirements.”

The College of Coastal Georgia is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of the College of Coastal Georgia may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

The principal locations where this statement appears are on the College’s Accreditation web page and in the catalog – General Information under “Accreditation” section.

Founded in 1895, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools™ (SACS) is comprised of the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI) and the Commission on Colleges (COC). The Commission on Colleges was founded in 1912 and organized to develop standards and a process for accrediting colleges and universities in the South (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) and Latin America and other international sites approved by SACSCOC that grant associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. The Commission’s mission is the enhancement of educational quality throughout the region and the improvement of the effectiveness of institutions by ensuring that they meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students.

Reaffirmation Process

As part of the reaffirmation of accreditation process, Coastal Georgia prepared a Compliance Certification Report that demonstrates its judgment of compliance with each of the standards outlined in the SACSCOC 2018 Principles of Accreditation. Additionally, SACSCOC requires that member institutions develop and implement a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to be reaffirmed for accreditation at the institution’s decennial review. The QEP describes a focused approach that addresses a well-defined topic or issue(s) related to enhancing student learning/student success. The QEP is described in standard 7.2: “The institution has a QEP that (a) has a topic identified through its ongoing, comprehensive planning and evaluation processes; (b) has broad-based support of institutional constituencies; (c) focuses on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student success; (d) commits resources to initiate, implement, and complete the QEP; and (e) includes a plan to assess achievement.”

Coastal Georgia submitted its Compliance Certification Report on March 1, 2021. An Off-Site Reaffirmation Committee, consisting of members from SACSCOC-accredited peer institutions, reviewed Coastal Georgia’s Compliance Certification Report in late April. An On-Site Reaffirmation Committee, composed of members from other SACSCOC-accredited peer institutions, virtually visited Coastal Georgia on November 8-11, 2021. The On-Site Reaffirmation Committee evaluated and determined the acceptability of the QEP, and reviewed standards and requirements related to U.S. Department of Education criteria. The On-Site Reaffirmation Committee completed the Report of the Reaffirmation Committee, which is submitted to the Commission for its review, noting no recommendations.

On June 16, 2022, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees formally reaffirmed the College to award associate and baccalaureate degrees through 2032. This action, which represents the best possible outcome of any accreditation review, validates the institution’s mission and its commitment to providing exceptional higher education and making continuous improvements to enhance students’ curricular and co-curricular experiences. Reaffirmation by SACSCOC and the positive acceptance of the QEP sets the stage for the institution’s continued growth anchored solidly in academic excellence that empowers and inspires inclusive success for every student, every time.

2022 Quality Enhancement Plan

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is part of the reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The QEP involves developing and accessing a strategy to improve an area of student learning or student success in a significant way through a campus-wide, five-year initiative. The focus of the QEP is determined by faculty, staff, and students, and must provide resources for the development, implementation, assessment, and completion of the plan.

Beyond the accreditation by SACSCOC to award associate and baccalaureate degrees, there are several institutional (specialized) accreditations. There have been no sanctions applied or negative actions taken by any of these accrediting bodies. For more information regarding specialized accreditation, please contact the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at oie@ccga.edu.

Nursing

The associate and baccalaureate nursing programs at the College of Coastal Georgia located in Brunswick, GA, are accredited by the:
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 975-5000

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the associate and baccalaureate nursing programs is Continuing Accreditation. 

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program on the ACEN website.

Radiologic Science

Radiologic Science – Joint Review Committee for Education in Radiologic Technology
Last site visit: Summer 2021 / Next site visit: Spring 2029

Teacher Education

Teacher Education – Georgia Professional Standards Commission
Last site visit: Fall 2022 / Next site visit: Fall 2029

Educator Preparation Provider – Performance Data

Founded in 1895, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) was organized to develop standards and a process for accrediting colleges and universities in the South. 

To ensure that the College of Coastal Georgia complies with the Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Colleges Policy Statement, requiring the reporting of all substantive changes accurately and efficiently to the Commission, the College has established institutional procedures for recognizing and approving substantive change and ensuring timely notification.