The 2013 HLC Notice: full account

On July 9, 2013, University of Phoenix received a Final Action Letter from the HLC notifying the University that the HLC, at its meeting on June 27, 2013, reaffirmed the accreditation of the University through the 2022–2023 academic year and placed the University on Notice status for a two–year period. Notice status is a sanction that means that HLC has determined that an institution is on a course of action that, if continued, could lead the institution to be out of compliance with one or more of the HLC Criteria for Accreditation or Core Components. The University was assigned by HLC to the Standard Pathway reaffirmation process, which entails as part of the normal ten–year cycle that the University host a comprehensive evaluation visit in 2016–2017. The University provided a report to HLC in 2015 that documented reforms undertaken to address HLC’s stated concerns. The HLC Board of Trustees then removed the University from Notice in July 2015.

What the HLC Notice was

A Notice was a formal public action used by HLC to identify concerns about an institution’s direction of compliance with HLC criteria. It signaled that HLC had identified issues requiring institutional response and monitoring.

For University of Phoenix, the 2013 notice cited student retention, financial indicators and governance questions. Those were substantive institutional concerns and should be described plainly.

The notice became part of the University’s public accreditation history. It should be understood as a resolved historical accreditor action, not as the current accreditation status.

What the 2013 Notice was not

The 2013 Notice was not probation. It was not show cause. It was not suspension, withdrawal or loss of accreditation.

Probation and show cause are different and more serious accreditation actions. The 2013 action was a Notice, and University of Phoenix remained accredited while the notice was active.

The accurate description is: HLC issued a Notice in 2013; the notice was subsequently removed in 2015; University of Phoenix remained accredited throughout.

How the notice was resolved

University of Phoenix responded through HLC’s monitoring and review process. The notice was later resolved and remains part of the historical record.

A resolved notice can still appear in the HLC Statement of Accreditation Status because HLC records formal actions as part of an institution’s accreditation history.

The current HLC record should be read as a full timeline: University of Phoenix has held HLC accreditation since 1978, received a Notice in 2013, later resolved that notice and received HLC reaffirmation in 2023.

The 2013 notice and the 2019 FTC settlement

The 2013 HLC Notice and the 2019 Federal Trade Commission settlement are separate records.

The HLC notice was an accreditation record. It related to student retention, financial indicators and governance questions.

The FTC settlement was a consumer-protection regulatory record. It addressed marketing and recruiting conduct from 2012 to 2016 under prior ownership by Apollo Education Group and resulted in a negotiated $191 million stipulated judgment in which the University of Phoenix did not admit any wrongdoing.

The two records should not be merged or treated as the same event. The FTC settlement was not an HLC accreditation action.

What the current record shows

The current HLC record shows that University of Phoenix holds institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. HLC reaffirmed that accreditation in 2023, and the next comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for 2032–2033.

The 2013 Notice remains important historical context. It does not mean University of Phoenix is currently on notice, probation or any other active adverse accreditation status.

Students, graduates, employers and other reviewers should verify the current record through the HLC Statement of Accreditation Status and the federal DAPIP database.

Why accurate wording matters

Accurate wording matters because different accreditation actions have different meanings. Calling the 2013 Notice “probation” or “loss of accreditation” would overstate what happened.

At the same time, the notice should not be minimized. It was a sanction that belongs in the complete institutional record.

Students and graduates who are asked about the notice should describe it directly: the notice occurred, it was removed in 2015, it was distinct from probation, and HLC reaffirmed University of Phoenix accreditation in 2023 for a 10-year period.

For credential verification, the most useful document is the HLC Statement of Accreditation Status. That record shows both the historical notice and the current accreditation status, which gives reviewers the full context.

Documenting the notice and the current status together

Students and graduates who are asked about the 2013 HLC Notice should rely on primary source documentation rather than secondhand summaries.

The key documents are the HLC Statement of Accreditation Status and the DAPIP record. Together, they show the historical notice, the current accreditation status and the 2023 reaffirmation.

Sources

13. [1] Higher Learning Commission. Statement of Accreditation Status. https://hlcommission.org. Accessed June 2026.

14. [2] U.S. Department of Education. DAPIP. https://ope.ed.gov/dapip. Accessed June 2026.

15. [3] Federal Trade Commission. University of Phoenix settlement. https://www.ftc.gov. Accessed June 2026.

16. [4] University of Phoenix. Accreditation. https://www.phoenix.edu/about/accreditation.html. Accessed June 2026.