Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Gain actionable insights to stay engaged and make your voices heard! In our next webinar, “Your Voice: Making Public Comments that Matter in Federal Policy,” learn how to: ✅Navigate the rulemaking process ✅Identify what makes comments effective ✅Position your institution or organization to influence meaningful change to support students. This event is open to all! Register: msche.org/events/your-vo… 📆 February 24, 2026 ⏰12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET 👥Presenters: Jordan Matsudaira, Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University, Postsecondary Education & Economics Research (PEER) Center Rawan Abbasi, Assistant Director for Communications, Middle States Commission on Higher Education #highereducation #policymaking #publiccomments #datadriven #MSCHEWebinars

Want your institution’s voice to be part of the federal policy conversation? Join our next webinar, “Your Voice: Making Public Comments that Matter in Federal Policy,” for practical strategies on making impactful, research-based, and data-driven public comments. 📆 February 24, 2026 ⏰12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET 👥Presenters: Jordan Matsudaira, Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University, Postsecondary Education & Economics Research (PEER) Center Rawan Abbasi, Assistant Director for Communications, Middle States Commission on Higher Education This event is open to all! Register: msche.org/events/your-vo… #highereducation #policymaking #publiccomments #datadriven #MSCHEWebinars

If your institution values innovation, flexibility, collaboration, and a contemporary approach to accreditation, join our next webinar to learn how the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) can help your institution thrive—today and into the future. In the webinar "Meet MSCHE: Student-Centered Accreditation Built for Innovation, Quality, and Global Impact," you’ll learn how our multi-layered review process benefits our institutions, how our community of peer experts strengthens institutional growth, and why our global footprint creates exciting opportunities for international engagement. 📆February 19, 2026 ⏰1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET 👥Presenters: Ryan Hartnett, Vice President for Membership, Middle States Commission on Higher Education Krysta Edwards-Owens, Administrative Coordinator for Membership, Middle States Commission on Higher Education This event is open to all! Register: msche.org/events/meet-ms… #accreditation #accreditors #highereducation #studentcentered #globalimpact #MSCHEWebinars

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is pleased to announce that a Call for Commissioner Nominations is now open for the term of January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2031. The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 20, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Submit a nomination: msche.org/2026/02/09/cal…

Fun at the MSCHE staff event: Sports Edition! Our team brought competitive spirit to football trivia, and we proudly represented our favorite teams as we gear up for #SuperBowl Sunday. #GoTeam 🎉 🏈

THIS is the organization you want to be affiliated with. ✅Thoughtful ✅Honest ✅Fair That’s the kind of review you can expect from when your institution joins MSCHE to benefit your students, communities, and your institutions as a whole. Take your institution’s mission to the next level with MSCHE. #thisisaccreditation #MSCHE

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education invites comment on its revised Conflicts of Interest Policy and Procedures. All comments are due by February 27, 2026. Read more: msche.org/2026/02/02/msc…

The Council of Recognized Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC) nominated Heather F. Perfetti, President of Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and Chair of C-RAC, to serve on the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Committee for the upcoming negotiated rulemaking. MSCHE Chair Susan Looney and Vice-Chair Havidán Rodríguez submitted a letter of support for Heather’s nomination as well. Nominations for negotiators are due by February 26, 2026. The Commission encourages institutional representatives to submit nominations for those who would best represent their sector. Read more: msche.org/2026/02/03/msc…

Join us at the @ACEducation Experience 2026, February 25-28, 2026, in Washington, D.C.! #ACEx2026 MSCHE President Heather Perfetti will be speaking alongside Lawrence Schall, President of the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), and Selena Grace, President of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), in a panel titled "Beyond the Headlines: The Future of Student-Centered Accreditation." In this conversation, accreditors will share the many ways we are advocating around important issues and the ways we are leveraging opportunities for transformation to best serve all of our students and the higher education community at large. Nicole Biever, MSCHE Chief of Staff, will moderate the discussion, and Rawan Abbasi, MSCHE Assistant Director for Communications, will also be in attendance. Learn more about the event: web.cvent.com/event/7d76e475… #accreditation #accreditors #highereducation #studentcentered

The United States Department of Education (USDE) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) “aimed at reducing the cost of higher education and simplifying federal student loan repayment.” The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) encourages our members and others to offer public comments. Comments must be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal by March 2, 2026. Read more: msche.org/2026/01/30/adv…

For those thinking about adding or changing accreditors, join us for an inside look at why institutions across the United States and around the world turn to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) as their accreditor of choice. In the webinar "Meet MSCHE: Student-Centered Accreditation Built for Innovation, Quality, and Global Impact," you’ll learn how our multi-layered review process benefits our institutions, how our community of peer experts strengthens institutional growth, and why our global footprint creates exciting opportunities for international engagement. 📆February 19, 2026 ⏰1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET 👥Presenters: Ryan Hartnett, Vice President for Membership, Middle States Commission on Higher Education Krysta Edwards, Administrative Coordinator for Membership, Middle States Commission on Higher Education This event is open to all! Register: msche.org/events/meet-ms… #accreditation #accreditors #highereducation #studentcentered #globalimpact

This month, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) welcomed Donna O’Malley as Accounting Manager! Donna will manage Commission accounting processes critical for organizational operations and decision-making. Read more: msche.org/2026/01/30/don…

View our strategic directions: msche.org/about-us/strat…

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is proud to share the launch of Future Forward, our dynamic, new strategic directions that will guide our mission, vision, and values resulting from a yearlong strategic planning process. The Future Forward strategic directions were first announced at our 2025 Annual Conference with 1,500 higher education professionals on December 10, 2025, during President Heather F. Perfetti’s opening remarks. “We are redefining accreditation, always modernizing what we do, and leveraging the ways we advocate for and support all of you, while remaining committed to the foundations of what we all value,” Heather said to the audience. “We are your trusted partners, and our student-centered, future-forward accreditation will be leveraged to best serve all of us.” Read more: msche.org/2026/01/29/msc…

A common accreditation myth: Accreditation stifles innovation. This is not true; we encourage and support innovation! “If you're interested in quality and you're interested in enhancing your ability to be flexible as you move forward, because we're always looking for innovation, the commission provides that understanding and that move toward the future,” says Former Commission Chair Katherine S. Conway-Turner. This is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Be part of this innovative community. #thisisaccreditation #MSCHE msche.org/2026/01/07/mee…

Our President, Heather Perfetti, and Honar Issa, Secretary-General of @KAAE_KRD, delivered an exceptional session today at the @CHEAnews Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. #CHEA2026 The session, titled "Global Partners, Local Impact: Strategic Collaboration for Advancing Higher Education Quality Globally," featured the groundbreaking international collaboration between the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the Kurdistan Accrediting Association for Education (KAAE). Our partnership exemplifies how strategic global engagement can accelerate the development of emerging quality assurance systems while strengthening institutional excellence and public trust in education.

On January 26, 2026, Heather F. Perfetti, President of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), provided written comment to the United States Department of Education (USDE) in response to the Request for Information (RFI) on necessary updates to the Accreditation Handbook. Read our full comment: msche.org/2026/01/28/adv…

MSCHE President Heather Perfetti, J.D.,Ed.D. spoke today in a panel at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Annual Conference, January 26-29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Heather was part of the panel "Challenges to Accreditation in a Shifting Landscape," moderated by CHEA President Nasser H. Paydar. Heather participated in the panel alongside Mac Powell, President of Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

The United States Department of Education (USDE) announced in a January 26, 2026, press release that it intends to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee on Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM). Nominations for negotiators are due by February 26, 2026. Read more: msche.org/2026/01/27/adv…