Middle States Accreditation

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is one of six voluntary, non-governmental, membership associations that accredits degree-granting colleges and universities. MSCHE primarily accredits schools in the Mid-Atlantic region as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a few international locations.

The U.S. Department of Education governs the nation’s accreditors. Institutional accreditation is required to disperse Title IV aid, a provision of the Higher Education Act of 1965 that governs the administration of federal student financial aid funds. Accreditation recognition that our degrees are high quality, thereby allows our graduates to transfer the credits they earn at BCC to other accredited institutions.

Re-Accreditation Process

Middle States accredits colleges and universities for eight years. BCC was most recently reaccredited in 2019 and is up for renewal again in 2027.

Accreditation requires institutions to engage in self-study and review by peer evaluators during a culminating site visit that usually lasts three days. Ultimately, it is the Commission, made up of higher education officials, who decide on whether or not to re-accredit an institution.

Designing, preparing, and writing the self-study is typically a two-year process. Its purpose is to not only demonstrate that the institution meets the Commission’s expectations but it also serves as a vehicle for self-reflection that will hopefully serve the institution well for many years after the self-study and on-site evaluation visit are completed.