The U.S. Department of Education (DOED) annually provides over $125 billion in financial assistance to help students pursue higher education. Accreditation assures that postsecondary institutions with access to federal student aid provide a quality education to students (GAO-18-5, 2017; Phillips & Kinser, 2018). Given the level of students’ and taxpayers’ investment in higher education, it is critical that the accreditation system effectively provide the assurance of academic quality. Yet there is a lack of knowledge of how accreditation policies and procedures are used in meeting the goals of quality assurance and improvement for all higher education institutions, as well as fulfill federal requirements. This three-article qualitative study aims to broaden the understanding of institutional accreditation at higher education institutions by examining accreditation discourses of one regional accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Additionally, the study aims to fill the gap in research studies that explore the U.S. higher education accreditation system. The purpose is to provide policymakers, college administrators, faculty, staff, current and prospective students, and other constituents with useful information to promote, better understand, and better support U.S. postsecondary education. Such understanding is valuable to institutional leaders to aid in the development of strategies for meeting academic quality standards and effective implementation or enhancement of quality improvement programs in support of their institutional mission.