Definition of Accreditation

Accreditation is the means of self-regulation and peer review adopted by the educational community. The accrediting process is intended to strengthen and sustain the quality and integrity of higher education, making it worthy of public confidence and minimizing the scope of external control. The extent to which each educational institution accepts and fulfills the responsibilities inherent in the process is a measure of its concern for freedom and quality in higher education and its commitment to striving for and achieving excellence in its endeavors.

Middle States' accreditation is an expression of confidence in an institution's mission and goals, its performance, and its resources. Based upon the results of institutional review by peers and colleagues assigned by the commission, accreditation attests to the judgment of the Commission on Higher Education that an institution has met the following criteria:

• Possesses a mission appropriate to higher education;
• Is guided by well-defined and appropriate goals, including goals for student learning;
• Has established conditions and procedures under which its mission and goals can be realized;
• Assesses both institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes, and uses the results for improvement;
• Is accomplishing its mission and goals substantially;
• Is so organized, staffed, and supported that it can be expected to continue to accomplish its mission and goals; and
• Meets the eligibility requirements and standards of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education Eligibility Requirements and Standards for Accreditation, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 2002, Page iv.