Middle States Commission on Higher Education

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and foreign higher education institutions. Its headquarters are in Wilmington, Delaware.

Until federal regulations changed in July 2020, it was considered one of the seven regional accreditation organizations dating back 130 years. The commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. It accredits nearly 600 institutions, primarily in Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Region and scope
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is recognized by the U.S. Department Education to accredit degree-granting institutions. Its traditional region includes the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and Washington, D.C. and the American territories and commonwealths of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands that wish to participate in Federal "Title IV" student loan programs. The commission conducts business in 48 states; the two exceptions are Montana and North Dakota, two U.S. territories, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C.. It operates in 94 countries.

History
MSCHE grew out of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), an organization established in 1887 to improve education using evaluation and accreditation. MSCHE itself was established in 1919 and was one of three commissions of MSA until 2013 when MSCHE incorporated as a separate entity in Pennsylvania as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education doing business as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. On July 1, 2019, MSCHE withdrew from MSA completely.