Accreditation

Accreditation is a process by which an institution of higher learning voluntarily agrees to meet the standards set by an accrediting organization that is made up of peer institutions. Accreditation is a way for educational institutions to monitor each other’s performance and, in effect, amounts to a seal of approval. Each educational institution must go through a periodic review to establish that it continues to meet the accreditation standards.

Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 1007 North Orange Street, 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801 (Phone: 267-284-5011 Email: info@msche.org)

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), 11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21, Reston, VA 20190-5248 (Phone: 703-437-0700, Email: info@arts-accredit.org)

These reviews take place every 8 years, with a mid-point review (MPR) and Annual Institutional Update (AIU) reports to measure progress toward goals.

The College is currently in its self-study process towards its 2027 reaccreditation with NASAD. Founded in 1944, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges, and universities with approximately 318 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for art and design and art/design-related disciplines, and provides assistance to institutions and individuals engaged in artistic, scholarly, educational, and other art/design-related endeavors.

The College is currently engaged in a self-study process towards 2029 re-accreditation.  This review occurs every ten years for institutions accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This self-study, “demonstrates an institution’s 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.” 

Our next review is 2029. 

For community members interested in learning more about the process, we invite you to visit the Commission’s website at msche.org

List of programs with external accreditation, approval or recognition at Delaware County Community College.