As a member of the Alabama Community College System (ACCS), Athens State University operates under the control of the Alabama State Board of Education (ASBE) through the Chancellor of Postsecondary Education. All degree programs offered at Athens State University must be reviewed and approved by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE). Degree programs approved by ACHE are published in the official ACHE program inventory for each institution.

As the only upper-division university in the Alabama Community College System (ACCS), Athens State University has been given the authority to grant baccalaureate degrees by the Alabama State Board of Education for all degree programs approved by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. These degree programs are published in the official ACHE program inventory for Athens State University.