Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE): An Overview

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) plays a vital role in assuring the quality and integrity of higher education institutions. Recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE), MSCHE is an institutional accreditor that serves as an independent voice in higher education. This article provides a comprehensive overview of MSCHE, its functions, standards, and significance in the higher education landscape.

MSCHE's Role in Accreditation

MSCHE verifies the quality of higher education through peer review, assessment, and evaluation. It is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association for institutions of higher education throughout the United States and globally. MSCHE is accountable to those it serves, including institutions, states and federal government, and the public.

MSCHE grew out of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), an organization established in 1887 to improve education using evaluation and accreditation. MSCHE is legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education.

Scope of Recognition

MSCHE's scope of recognition includes the accreditation and pre-accreditation ("Candidacy status") of institutions of higher education, including distance, correspondence education programs, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions.

Importance of Accreditation

Accreditation by MSCHE signifies that an institution has met rigorous and comprehensive standards, demonstrating its commitment to quality and continuous improvement.

To be eligible for, to achieve, and to maintain Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, an institution must demonstrate that it meets MSCHE's requirements of affiliation. Compliance is expected to be continuous and will be validated periodically, typically at the time of institutional self-study and during any other evaluation of the institution’s compliance.

Accreditation is driven principally by three important considerations: clear evidence of institutional integrity and effectiveness at all levels of decision-making in furtherance of the university’s core educational purpose, demonstrable educational effectiveness embedded in an ongoing system for continuous improvement in educational outcomes, evidence of continuing fiscal soundness as reflected in sustained institutional access to federal funds (Title IV student financial aid).

Title IV Gatekeeper

MSCHE is a title IV gatekeeper and a link to federal programs, and institutions access title IV through MSCHE accreditation. Many institutions access title IV through MSCHE accreditation.

Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation

MSCHE requires that its institutions meet rigorous and comprehensive accreditation standards, which are addressed in the context of the mission of each institution and within the culture of ethical practices and institutional integrity expected of accredited institutions. The Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation serve as an ongoing guide for institutions considering application for membership, candidate institutions seeking initial accreditation, and accredited institutions striving for reaffirmation through engaged self-reflection and peer evaluation. Institutions are expected to demonstrate compliance with MSCHE's Standards for Accreditation, Requirements of Affiliation, policies and procedures, and applicable federal regulatory requirements; conduct their activities in a manner consistent with the standards; and engage in ongoing processes of self-reflection and continuous improvement.

In this document, each standard is expressed in one or two sentences and is then followed by criteria, which are used together, within the context of institutional mission, to demonstrate or determine compliance. The criteria specify characteristics or qualities that encompass the standard. The individual mission and goals of each institution remain the context within which MSCHE's accreditation standards are applied.

Focus on Student Learning

The standards focus on the student learning experience. Institutions should design and provide student learning experiences aligned with mission, creating an appropriately supportive learning environment and understanding and improving student learning outcomes. An institution’s student learning programs and opportunities must be characterized by rigor, coherence, and appropriate assessment of student achievement throughout the educational offerings, and institutions must offer a curriculum that is designed so that students acquire and demonstrate essential skills including at least oral and written communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and reasoning, technological competency, and information literacy (Standard III). Consistent with the institution’s mission, the general education program must also include the study of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives (Standard III).

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Throughout the seven standards, institutions should reflect deeply and share results on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the context of their mission by considering at a minimum: goals and actions (Standard I); demographics and policies or processes (Standard II and VII); curriculum and services (Standard III and IV); assessments (Standard V); and resource allocation (Standard VI). One goal of DEI reflection would be to address disparate impacts on an increasingly diverse student population if discovered.

Data-Based Decision-Making

The standards reflect MSCHE's commitment to data-based decision-making. Institutions must analyze a range of data, including disaggregated data, to ensure students are appropriately served and institutional mission and goals are met. Institutions should rely upon the data required by the Commission and additional data used by the institution. Institutions should follow the Commission’s evidence expectations that are reflective of a range of data considerations, consonant with higher education expectations, and consistent with the institution’s mission. Periodic and systematic evaluation and assessment allow institutions to demonstrate commitment to reflection, and MSCHE's standards provide the opportunity to evaluate progress toward institutional goals.

Requirements of Affiliation Explained

To be eligible for, to achieve, and to maintain Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, an institution must demonstrate that it meets MSCHE's requirements of affiliation.

The institution is authorized or licensed to operate as a postsecondary educational institution and to award postsecondary degrees; it provides written documentation demonstrating both.
The institution’s mission defines its purpose within the context of higher education, the students it serves, and what it intends to accomplish.
Ethics and integrity are central, indispensable, and defining hallmarks of effective higher education institutions.
An institution provides students with learning experiences that are characterized by rigor and coherence at all program, certificate, and degree levels, regardless of instructional modality.
Across all educational experiences, settings, levels, and instructional modalities, the institution recruits and admits students whose interests, abilities, experiences, and goals are congruent with its mission and educational offerings.
Organized and systematic assessments, conducted by faculty and/or appropriate professionals, evaluating the extent of student achievement of institutional and degree/program goals.
The institution is governed and administered in a manner that allows it to realize its stated mission and goals in a way that effectively benefits the institution, its students, and the other constituencies it serves.

Accreditation Cycle

In accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR § 602.17 and § 602.19, the Commission implements a cycle for accreditation review that reevaluates and monitors institutions to ensure compliance with standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies and procedures, and applicable federal regulatory requirements. The Commission’s eight-year cycle includes a Self-Study Evaluation and On-Site Evaluation visit.

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Self-Study Evaluation

The Self-Study Review enables the university to assess the strengths and weaknesses of current programs and institutional effectiveness against the criteria that comprise its mission and the Standards of Excellence articulated by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This process promotes continuous program improvement and documentation of student learning outcomes.

The Steering Committee will create a self-study that will be shared with external reviewers in preparation for a site visit. Each of the seven standards will have a working committee, composed of 10-12 faculty and staff led by two co-chairs who will also serve on the Steering Committee. The working groups will meet on a regular basis to make decisions and distribute the workload.

MSCHE's Commitment to Quality Assurance

MSCHE is an active partner in quality assurance through its service as a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association for institutions of higher education throughout the United States as well as globally.

MSCHE is dedicated to ensuring that its standards continue to drive innovation and best support institutions.

MSCHE as an Independent Voice

MSCHE serves as an independent voice in higher education. Over the course of history, its identity has been closely aligned with assuring trust and instilling confidence in higher education. MSCHE is proud of the role it serves in verifying the quality of higher education through peer review, assessment, and evaluation.

Complaints

Complaints may be filed with the University’s accrediting agency, Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The Commission reviews complaints about substantive matters that are related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs.

MSCHE and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

On October 6, 2025, the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC) released a Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Advance Learning Evaluation and Recognition. C-RAC stated: Put simply, the use of AI in learning evaluation does not conflict with accreditation.

Recent Activities

MSCHE is launching a review of its Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation and Evidence Expectations by Standard.

Annual Conference

Registration is open for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) 2025 Annual Conference - Guiding for Good: Leading through Change, which will take place December 10-12, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA.

Launch of State of the Commission Data Web Page

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) has launched its State of the Commission Data web page, providing data across many aspects of the institutional membership as well as new institutions.

Heather F. Perfetti Elected to CHEA Board of Directors

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) announced the election of Heather F. Perfetti, President of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), to its Board of Directors.

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