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Every 10 years, colleges and universities have to apply for reaccreditation with their regional accrediting agency. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges. Since the University is due to be considered for "reaffirmation of accreditation" in 2008, Provost June Aprille has appointed a leadership team to guide the process. Susan Breeden, University registrar, and Steve RiCharde, director of institutional research, will co-direct the team.

SACS has a newly adopted reaccreditation process that has two distinct parts: 1) a compliance certification and 2) a quality enhancement plan. The compliance certification requires the University to provide evidence that it complies with the Principles of Accreditation, including 12 core requirements and 61 comprehensive standards specified for universities. One of the hallmarks of the new process is the requirement that each department, and the University as a whole, continually assess progress towards the goals it has set for itself.

In addition to a compliance certification, SACS asks that institutions consider ways to enrich student learning. In the past the process required a self-study, which asked schools to look back and describe what they had done. The new Principles of Accreditation require each university to prepare a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).