On September 17th, Queens College faculty and students gathered in Kiely Hall, Room 170 to discuss QC’s 2024-2026 Middle States Self-Study, which will allow the college to remain accredited and receive federal financial aid for students.
Since QC is in its final year of this college-wide accreditation cycle, a Self-Study report draft has been created to examine how QC meets the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Standards for Accreditation which was previewed at the meeting.
MSCHE is an institutional accreditor which evaluates the educational quality for its over 500 institutions of higher education throughout the United States. It is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
On February 21st, 2024, Queens College released a video on their YouTube channel explaining the accreditation process titled, “Middle States Accreditation” featuring QC President Frank H. Wu, who said the following:
“And thanks to accreditation, our students can receive federal financial aid and have their transfer credits accepted by other institutions. Accreditation ensures that we are delivering on the promises we have made to the public, to our students, and their families by confirming that the education we offer is of high quality.”
In addition to being an accredited member of the MSCHE, QC is also accredited by the New York State Department of Education (NYSDOE) and in order to maintain its status, the college must provide an Annual Institutional Update and a college-wide Self-Study every eight years.
The MSCHE evaluates higher education institutions based off the following criteria:
- Standard I: Mission and Goals
- Standard II: Ethics and Integrity
- Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience
- Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience
- Standard V: Educational Effectiveness Assessment
- Standard VI: Planning, Resources and Institutional Improvement
- Standard VII: Governance, Leadership and Administration
Since QC’s institutional accreditation was last confirmed in 2017, the college began its Self-Study preparation in late 2023 with its official launch in early 2024. The responsibility of the Self-Study is undertaken by working groups, these groups are assembled according to the seven MSCHE Standards of Accreditation and each group is made up of ten members belonging to the QC community.
QC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price explained the responsibilities of each working group in a YouTube video:
“Over the course of 2024 and 2025, each working group will generate a report for their assigned standard. Together, the reports of the seven working groups will comprise the basis of the self-study report. Throughout the process, there will be many opportunities for the campus community to provide input and to help the working groups shape the chapters.”
Working groups are headed by two co-chairs, one staff member and one faculty member. All members of the QC community are encouraged to reach out to these working groups to help gather and analyze information, and provide feedback on the QC Self-Study draft.
Since QC is well into the final stages of its Self-Study, the MSCHE peer evaluations began on October 7th and will return to QC between March 22nd-25th, 2026. In the meantime, the draft of the college’s Self-Study report has already been made available and the final report, evidence, and Verification of Compliance with Accreditation-Relevant Federal Regulations and Standards will be submitted to the MSCHE sometime in early 2026.
But one question remains, what will happen after QC submits its self-study report and when will the college hear the news of its accreditation renewal?
According to QC’s video on its Middle States Accreditation, Provost Price said:
“In Spring of 2026, a group of peer evaluators will visit our campus for three days. They will speak with the community and verify the documentation that we submitted as evidence that we meet the standards. They will then deliver a team evaluation report, where they recommend accreditation and offer some suggested improvements. The final report will be presented to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and in June 2026, the Commission will make a final determination about our accreditation status.”
