Ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation

SCAD achieved a ten-year reaffirmation of its accreditation with no recommendations for improvement from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). This stellar achievement marks the university’s second consecutive decade of flawless SACSCOC accreditation and clearly demonstrates the exceptional quality and value of a SCAD education.

Over the last three years SCAD participated in the reaffirmation of accreditation process by SACSCOC—which includes reviews by off-site and on-site committees, the SACSCOC Committees on Compliance and Reports, standing committees of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees, the SACSCOC Executive Council, and a final review and decision by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. At the December 2021 SACSCOC Annual Meeting, the Commission officially announced the full-term reaffirmation of SCAD’s accreditation.

“SCAD celebrates our ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation with joy and pride,” say SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace. “The university has once again been confirmed to be in 100 percent compliance with all accreditation standards and has been awarded the maximum possible term of accreditation. All of us at SCAD share a deep and abiding passion for our mission to prepare students for rewarding lifelong professions, and we proudly deliver on that promise to students and their families. SCAD is truly best in class and the preeminent source of knowledge for aspiring creators, designers, entrepreneurs, and makers.”

SACSCOC is the body for the accreditation of degree- granting higher education institutions in the Southern United States. All SACSCOC member institutions are required to undergo a reaffirmation of accreditation every ten years or less. Earning and maintaining accreditation is a major process for any institution and is crucial for quality assurance in higher education.

When accreditation is awarded to an institution of higher education by SACSCOC, the institution has a mission appropriate to higher education; resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain its mission; clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers; and that it is successful in assessing its achievement of these objectives and demonstrating improvements. Accreditation by SACSCOC is a statement of the institution’s continuing commitment to quality and integrity as well as its capacity to provide effective programs and services based on agreed-upon accreditation standards.

In addition to university-wide accreditation by SACSCOC, the university’s professional MArch degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board and the SCAD interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Atlanta and Savannah is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. For more information on the university’s accreditation visit scad.edu/accreditation.

SCAD: the university for creative carrers
The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 academic degree programs across its locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow.

SCAD enrolls 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 100 countries. The innovative SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and other advanced learning resources, and affords students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university’s renowned professional research lab and prototype generator. SCAD is No. one in the US, according to Art & Object’s 2021 Best Art Schools ranking, with additional top rankings for degree programs in interior design, architecture, film, fashion, digital media, and more. Career preparation is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. In a recent study, 99 percent of SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within ten months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with lifelong career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more. Visit scad.edu.