AURAK Gains SACSCOC Accreditation

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) officially announced the accreditation of the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) at its 2018 Annual Meeting which was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States of America.

SACSCOC, the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern United States, has a membership of more than 800 institutions in the Southern states and other international sites approved by SACSCOC that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and/or doctoral degrees. SACSCOC also awards accreditation to other international institutions of higher education that satisfy all its requirements and demonstrate compliance with its accreditation standards. AURAK now joins the very small group of elite international higher education institutions that have attained SACSCOC accreditation and can enjoy the diverse benefits of membership in this highly revered organization.

“Accreditation by SACSCOC signifies that the institution has a mission appropriate to higher education, has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission, and maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees its offers, and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.” 

“The culmination of the accreditation process is a public statement of an institution’s continuing capacity to provide effective programs and services based on agreed-upon requirements. The statement of an institution’s accreditation status with SACSCOC also represents an affirmation of an institution’s continuing commitment to the Commission’s principles and philosophy of accreditation.”

AURAK is a nonprofit, government-owned institution of higher education which provides the local, regional and international communities with a North American-style education integrated with Arabic customs and traditions. It is licensed by the Ministry of Education in the UAE and offers a total of 22 accredited undergraduate and graduate programs across a wide range of disciplines. Despite having this primary local accreditation, AURAK was determined to broaden its impact in higher education by obtaining internationally recognized institutional and program accreditations. To date, the institution hassixprograms accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and institutional accreditation by SACSCOC. It should be noted that in the case of institutional accreditation by SACSCOC, an institution is also expected to document and demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of all its programs and services although the agency does not award individual program accreditation.

AURAK has been working diligently towards obtaining SACSCOC accreditation since 2014 and successfully achieved candidacy status in July of 2017. This paved the way for the institution to undergo even more rigorous and comprehensive onsite review by a SACSCOC Accreditation Committee. The Committee found the institution to be in compliance with all accreditation standards and requirements. Further internal reviews were conducted by SACSCOC in keeping with its multi-tiered peer review process, the culmination of which was AURAK obtaining SACSCOC accreditation.

This was a formidable achievement that was four years in the making. It demonstrates the tenacity, determination and commitment of AURAK to achieving excellence in all its undertakings – for its students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders.

“The long- standing dream and goal has come true in a record time. The report is positive and clear.” Professor Hassan beamed proudly during the declaration of AURAK’s SACSCOC accreditation status. “Today AURAK is among the first universities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to successfully initiate and complete the entire accreditation process as an applicant institution to secure membership from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), affirming that AURAK is not only as an institution of quality among Arabic educational institutions, but also on an international level as well. This accreditation validates our claims of providing students with a highly rigorous curriculum from the credentialed and highly knowledgeable faculty we have always strived to hire and support. AURAK has achieved in a very short time what some other institutions have failed to do in decades. 

I would like to seize this opportunity to thank the AURAK family and supporters for their loyalty, dedication, and hard work. Without them, AURAK would not be the exemplar of educational excellence it is. Today our aspirations and our hard work have been realized. In gaining SACSCOC membership we join a community of highly respected institutions. We look forward to offering a vast array of educational opportunities through which we will continue to develop and excel.”