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title: "January 5, 2026 - Substantive Change Actions"
canonical: "https://resources.acenursing.org/space/CA/3826122753/January%205%2C%202026%20-%20Substantive%20Change%20Actions"
format: markdown
---
# **Notification of Substantive Change Actions January 5, 2026**

## **Board of Commissioners Actions**

The following publicly available information is provided by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) concerning actions taken on** January 5, 2026,** by the ACEN Board of Commissioners related to substantive changes. Commission staff will not speculate on what decision might be made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners the next time a program is reviewed. For additional information regarding ACEN accreditation process, access the [Accreditation Manual](https://www.acenursing.org/accreditation/accred-manual/accreditation-manual).

**The Board of Commissioners approved the substantive change report for the following programs:**

**The Commission approved the **<u>**substantive change**</u>** for the following programs:**

- **Albany State University **(master’s) Albany, Georgia, related to the implementation of a new Nursing Informatics Program Option.
- **Central Oregon Community College **(associate) Bend, Oregon, related to the implementation of the new Madras off-campus instructional site located at 1170 E. Ashwood Road, Madras, Oregon**.**
- **Saint Charles Community College **(associate) Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, related to an increase in Program Enrollment of 50% or Greater and the new SCCC Innovation West Campus Off-Campus Instructional Site located at 2400 Interstate, Drive, Wentzville, Missouri.

**The Commission approved the **<u>**substantive change**</u>** for the following programs and authorized a **<u>**focused visit**</u>**:**

- **None**

**The Commission approved the **<u>**substantive change report**</u>** and requested a written report about the status of the implementation of the substantive change for the following programs:**

- **Pacific College of Health and Science **(master’s) New York, New York, related to a decline in program completion rates.

**The Commission approved the **<u>**substantive change**</u>** and **<u>**removed**</u>** the requirement for a **<u>**focused visit**</u>** for the following programs:**

- **None**

**The Commission denied the **<u>**substantive change**</u>** for the following programs:**

- **None**

**The Commission denied the **<u>**substantive change**</u>** and authorized a **<u>**focused visit**</u>** for the following programs:**

- **None**

## **Definitions**

**Substantive Change Report**: A report submitted by an accredited program informing the ACEN of a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of a nursing program and/or nursing education unit.

**Focused Visit**: A site visit authorized by the ACEN Board of Commissioners to review significant accreditation-related information disclosed about a program as a result of:

- A substantive change
- Information revealed about a program between periods of scheduled review.
- Information received from the governing organization’s accrediting body related to an adverse action.
- Information received from the program’s state regulatory agency for nursing related to a change in its status.
- Information revealed by a program during the Evaluation Review Panel process.
- Information received from the U.S. Department of Education regarding a program’s compliance responsibilities under Title IV of the Higher Education Act such as information related to a program’s most recent student loan default rates, the results of financial or compliance audits, program reviews, and any other information that may be provided by the U.S. Department of Education.