{"id":84,"date":"2013-03-18T09:58:23","date_gmt":"2013-03-18T13:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/about\/profile\/accreditation\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T12:57:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T16:57:30","slug":"accreditation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/about\/accreditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Accreditation & Memberships"},"content":{"rendered":"
The College<\/em> – Established in 1969 as a state-supported, co-educational, four-year College of liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in 1975. Following self studies, the College was reaccredited in 1981, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2015, and 2020. Our 2020 Self-Study documents are available on the Reaffirming Our Promise Self-Study 2020 webpage at https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/self-study\/. Our next Self-Study will be due in Fall 2027 with a MSCHE Evaluation Team expected to visit campus in Spring 2028.<\/p>\n Middle States advises that the self-study process should be valuable to an institution, enabling it to demonstrate that it meets the Commission\u2019s expectations and to gain insights that will serve the institution well for several years after the Self-Study Report and On-Site Evaluation Visit have been completed. Self-study demonstrates an institution\u2019s commitment to continuous improvement and is used to strengthen and sustain the institution. In addition, institutions should be prepared to engage in a careful analysis of institutional priorities that it has selected in the interest of identifying mission-related areas of improvement, responding effectively to challenges, and identifying and adopting innovative practices to more readily achieve institutional mission, adapt to changes in the higher education sector, and to best serve students and society.<\/p>\n The Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, doing business as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), was formally incorporated under Pennsylvania Commonwealth law on March 1, 2013. From its origins in 1919 through February 2013, the Commission was a unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is now an independent corporation.<\/p>\n The Commission on Higher Education is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidacy status) activities for institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including distance education and correspondence education programs offered at those institutions. MSCHE is also recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to accredit degree-granting institutions which offer one or more post-secondary educational programs of at least one academic year in length in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other geographic areas in which the Commission conducts accrediting activities.<\/p>\n The Commission is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. It examines each institution as a whole, rather than specific programs within institutions.<\/p>\n An institution of higher education is a community dedicated to students, to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge, to the study and clarification of values, and to the advancement of the society it serves. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), through accreditation, mandates that its member institutions meet rigorous and comprehensive 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. In meeting the quality standards of MSCHE accreditation, institutions earn accredited status, and this permits them to state with confidence: \u201cOur students are well-served; society is well-served.\u201d<\/p>\n To be eligible for, to achieve, and to maintain Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, an institution must demonstrate that it fully meets the following 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\u2019s compliance. Once eligibility is established, an institution then must demonstrate on an ongoing basis that it meets the Standards for Accreditation.<\/p>\n Retrieved October 2019 from the Middle States website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n To be eligible for, to achieve, and to maintain Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation, an institution must demonstrate that it meets our 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\u2019s compliance. Once eligibility is established, an institution then must demonstrate on an ongoing basis that it meets the standards for accreditation.<\/p>\n 1. The institution is authorized or licensed to operate as a postsecondary educational institution and to award postsecondary degrees; it provides written documentation demonstrating both. Authorization or licensure is from an appropriate governmental organization or agency as required by each of the jurisdictions, regions, or countries in which the institution operates.<\/p>\n Institutions that offer only postsecondary certificates, diplomas, or licenses are not eligible for accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.<\/p>\n 2. The institution is operational, with students actively enrolled in its degree programs.<\/p>\n 3. For institutions pursuing candidate for accreditation status or the grant of accreditation, the institution will graduate at least one class before the team visit for the grant of accreditation takes place, unless the institution can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Commission that the lack of graduates does not compromise its ability to demonstrate that students have achieved appropriate learning outcomes.<\/p>\n 4. The institution must communicate with the Commission in English, both orally and in writing, including all accreditation materials to support the multi-level accreditation decision-making process.<\/p>\n Retrieved April 2025 from the Middle States website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Standard I: Mission and Goals<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The institution\u2019s mission defines its purpose within the context of higher education, the students it serves, and what it intends to accomplish. The institution\u2019s stated goals are clearly linked to its mission and specify how the institution fulfills its mission.<\/p>\n Visit the Middle States website<\/a>\u00a0review the criteria for Standard I.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Standard II: Ethics and Integrity<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Ethics and integrity are central, indispensable, and defining hallmarks of effective higher education institutions. In all activities, whether internal or external, an institution must be faithful to its mission, honor its contracts and commitments, adhere to its policies, and represent itself truthfully.<\/p>\n Visit the Middle States website <\/a>to review the criteria for Standard II.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n 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. All learning experiences, regardless of modality, program pace\/schedule, level, and setting are consistent with higher education expectations.<\/p>\n Visit the Middle States website <\/a>to review the criteria for Standard III.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n 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. The institution commits to student retention, persistence, completion, and success through a coherent and effective support system sustained by qualified professionals, which enhances the quality of the learning environment, contributes to the educational experience, and fosters student success.<\/p>\n Visit the Middle States website to <\/a>review the criteria for Standard IV.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Standard V: Educational Effectiveness Assessment<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Assessment of student learning and achievement demonstrates that the institution\u2019s students have accomplished educational goals consistent with their program of study, degree level, the institution\u2019s mission, and appropriate expectations for institutions of higher education.<\/p>\n Visit the Middle States website<\/a> to review the criteria for Standard V.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Standard VI: Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The institution\u2019s planning processes, resources, and structures are aligned with each other and are sufficient to fulfill its mission and goals, to continuously assess and improve its programs and services, and to respond effectively to opportunities and challenges.<\/p>\n Visit the Middle States website <\/a>to review the criteria for Standard VI.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Standard VII: Governance, Leadership, and Administration<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n 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. Even when supported by or affiliated with a related entity, the institution has education as its primary purpose, and it operates as an academic institution with appropriate autonomy.<\/p>\n Visit the Middle States website<\/a> to review the criteria for Standard VII.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Retrieved April 2025 from the Middle States website<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\nAbout Middle States Accreditation<\/h3>\n
Requirements for Affiliation<\/h3>\n
Middle States Standards for Accreditation<\/h3>\n