Provost

Academic Portfolio Review

This content was updated on October 26, 2026 to reflect OCHE’s October 20 response to UM’s pilot petitions.

The purpose of Academic Portfolio Review is to conduct an annual analysis guided by metrics defined in BOR Policy 303.3 Program Review and other data identified to evaluate program health, sustainability, and student success. Official recommendations resulting from the Academic Portfolio Review are initiated through Faculty Senate and Board of Regents procedures. 

Beginning with the 2026–27 cycle, APR incorporates the Montana University System's new Ongoing Program Review as its foundation. This annual, threshold-based review is conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) and now runs system-wide.

OCHE Pilot

The 2026–27 academic year will serve as a pilot of the new process before taking full effect in August 2027. During the pilot, no program actions will result, unless they are voluntary on the part of the offering academic unit. The pilot's purpose is to validate the underlying data, test the forms and timelines, and gather campus and faculty feedback. Faculty input during the pilot year will directly shape the final Academic Affairs Handbook procedures, forms, and metrics.

OCHE will evaluate programs at the 4-digit CIP code, degree level, and campus level, using three metrics: a headcount floor, a three-year headcount trend, and a three-year graduation floor. If a program crosses a single threshold (1), it is then flagged Red (Enhanced Review) or Yellow (Monitor). A flag is not a decision about a program's future. It creates an obligation to review the program, document improvement plans, and come to a reasonable determination about the program's future.

Because OCHE's thresholds are calculated at the CIP-code level, a single CIP grouping can combine more than one UM program (for example, if all biology majors and concentrations at the baccalaureate level fall under the same CIP they will be reviewed together). Academic Portfolio Review (APR) looks at each UM program separately and will address trends in enrollment and completion that CIP-level aggregation alone might miss.

On October 20, OCHE responded to all 21 UM petitions: seven programs were removed from the pilot enhanced review list, 13 moved to Monitor, and one was retained for enhanced review. Affected deans and departments have been notified, and the MUS Pilot Flagged Program List has been updated.

2026-2027 Process

OCHE Pilot Calendar

• August 21, 2026 | OCHE provides the list of programs flagged for enhanced review to campuses. (Complete)
• September 30, 2026 | Chief academic officer petition for removal from the list due to OCHE. (Complete)
• November 2026| Pilot enhanced review list reported to BOR (information only)
• December 31, 2026 | Internal UM deadline for campus response drafts
• January 15, 2027 | Campus practice responses due to OCHE
• March 2027 | Pilot outcomes and lessons learned reported to the BOR
• Spring 2027 | Pilot evaluation; handbook, forms, and metrics finalized
• August 2027 | Ongoing program review takes effect

The Board of Regents has not yet set a date to consider the Policy 303.3 revisions, but it will likely take them up at its March or May 2027 meeting.

Campus Response Process

Petitions

On October 20, OCHE responded to all 21 UM petitions: seven programs were removed from the pilot enhanced review list, 13 moved to Monitor, and one was retained for enhanced review. Affected deans and departments have been notified, and the MUS Pilot Flagged Program List has been updated.

Enhanced Review

Programs on the pilot enhanced review list require a campus response by January 15, 2027. UM’s internal deadline for drafts is December 31, 2026. Any voluntary program moratoria or terminations will be submitted to Faculty Senate by the Spring Curriculum Deadline. Program modifications resulting from improvement plans can be submitted the following fall. 

Individual Program-Level Review

Alongside OCHE's system-level thresholds, UM disaggregates its own data to the individual program level for every program on campus beyond the CIP-level groupings used by OCHE. Program-level data for this review is available to all programs in Tableau dashboards that integrate the OCHE review thresholds.

APR Findings

APR results reach campus in three stages each cycle:

1. OCHE's system-level findings are shared with campus as soon as they're available, along with an explanation of what they show, their limitations, and what to expect next.
2. Programs identified using OCHE thresholds are prioritized for early, individual conversations with the Office of the Provost.
3. APR analysis, disaggregated to the individual program level alongside the OCHE thresholds, will be used in program planning during the academic year and in the Student Learning Assessment process, which launches in November with reports due in January.

Faculty Senate retains the right to review and make recommendations to campus on all curriculum and items of academic concern. Any program modifications and proposals to place programs into moratorium or termination will be reviewed through established curriculum review processes.