MSCHE Accreditation Activities Guidelines

Acc reditation Activities Guidelines Effective Date: January 1, 2026 Content s I. Purpose II. Applica tion and Candidacy III. Self-Study Eval uation and On -Site Evaluation Visit IV. Follow-Up Reports and Visits V. Annual Monit oring of Institutions VI. Out of Cycle Monit oring VII. Teach -O ut Plans and Agreeme nts VIII. Substantive Cha ng e IX. Voluntary Surrender X. Other Proce edings I. Purpose The Mid-Atla ntic Region Commission on Higher Education (MARCHE), doing busine ss as the Middle Sta tes Commission on Higher Education (MS CHE or the Commi ssion) seeks to ensure that accreditation activities are clearly describe d. The purpose of the se guidelin es is to describe the range of accreditation activities conducted by the Commission i ncluding reviews or proceedi ngs and any related visits and accreditation materials. II. Application and C an didacy The proce ss for application and candidacy includes three separate reviews: Pre -Applic ation, Candida te Ass essment, and Accre ditation Ass essment (Initial Sel f -Study). A. Pre -Application The pre-a pplication review is a peer review of evidence to determine i f a pre -applicant instit ution meets the minimum requirements and is eligible to continue the application process. The proc edures for this review are provided in Pre-Application Determination of Eli gibility to Apply Procedures. Visits: Pre-Applicant On-Site Visit, Pre-A ppli cant S it e Visits (to branch campuses and addi tional locations) Accre ditation Materials: Pre-Appli cant Minimum Requirements (Evidence Inventory), Main Campus Cert ification Statement (Appendix A), Require d Disclosures and Cert ifications Statement (Appe nd ix B), Pre -Applic ant Evaluator Report Upon the grant of ac creditation, an institution that is changing or adding MSCHE as an accredi tor will complete a series of monitoring reports and will begin preparation for self-study in accordance with Addition or Change of Ac creditor to MSCHE Proce dures. GUIDELINES

Acc reditation Activities Guidelines Page 2 Disclaimer: The material provided in these guidelines was developed to provide additional guidance and descriptions of accreditation activities. Commission Policy and Procedures will govern in the case of a conflict with this material. For any questions about an institution’s accreditation status or for additional information about MSCHE’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies, and procedures, you should contact MSCHE staff. This material is not intended as a substitute for prof essional advice from MSCHE staff and use of the material does not guarantee any specifi c accreditation outcome. B. Candidate Assessment Candida te assessment is a peer review of the Candidate Assessment Report (CAR) a nd evide nce to determine if the applicant institution demonstrates compliance with the Commi ssion’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliati on, po li cies and procedures, and a pplicable federal regulatory requirements a nd should be granted Candida te for Accreditation Status. The procedures for this revie w are provided in Candidate Assessment Procedures. Visits: Candidate Assessment Te am Visit Accre ditation Materials: Candidate As sessment Report (CAR) and Evidence, Tea m Report, Verification of Compliance with Applicabl e Federal Regulatory Requirement s Evaluator Checklist, Institutional Response, Tea m Chair’s Confident ial Brief, Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Form, Teach-Out Pl ans and Agreeme nts Review Report, Third-Party Comments, H istory of Com plaints C. Accre ditation Assess ment (Initial Sel f-Stu dy) Accredi tation Assessment is a peer review of a candidate institution’s initial self -study eval uation to determine if the candidate institution demonstrates compliance with the Commi ssion’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliati on, po li cies and procedures, and a pplicable federal regulatory requirements. T he procedures for this review a re forthcoming and will be provided in Accreditation Assessment Procedures. Visits: Accreditati on Assessment Team Visit, Accreditation Assessment Site Visits (to al l Branch Campuses and a representative sample of Additional Loca tions) Accre ditation Materials: Self-Study Design (SSD), Accreditation Assessment Report (AAR) and Evi dence, Team Report, Institutional Response, Team Chair’s Confident ial Brief, Third-Party Comments, History o f Compla ints III. Self-Study Evaluation and On-Site Evaluation Vi sit The Sel f- Study Evaluation is a comprehensive review to de termine t he institution’s ongoing compl iance with the standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies and procedures, and a pplicable federal regulatory requirements. T o be reaffirm ed, an accre d it ed instit ution attends the Self-Study Institute (SSI) and engage s in an in-depth, com prehensive, and reflecti ve assess me nt process ca lled self-study eval uation in accordance with its assigned eight- year accredi tation review cycle. Procedures for this r evie w are provided in Accreditation Review Cycl e and Monitoring Policy and Procedures. Visits: Self- Study Preparati on Visit (SSP V), Chair’s Preli minary Visit, Self -Study Si te Visits (to al l Branch Campuses and a representative sample Additional Locations), On - Site E valuation Visit Accre ditation Materials: Self-Study Design (SSD), Self-Study Report and Evidence,

Acc reditation Activities Guidelines Page 3 Disclaimer: The material provided in these guidelines was developed to provide additional guidance and descriptions of accreditation activities. Commission Policy and Procedures will govern in the case of a conflict with this material. For any questions about an institution’s accreditation status or for additional information about MSCHE’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies, and procedures, you should contact MSCHE staff. This material is not intended as a substitute for prof essional advice from MSCHE staff and use of the material does not guarantee any specifi c accreditation outcome. Self-Study Team Report, Verification of Compliance w it h Applica ble F ederal Regulatory Requirement s Evaluator Checklist, Ins ti tutional Response, Team Chair’s Confidential Brief, Thi rd-Party Comments, History of Complaints IV. Foll o w -Up Reports and Visits Fol low-up reports and visits are a mechanism for ongoing monit oring whereby the Commiss ion conduct s a staff or peer review of a written follow-u p report a nd evidence to monitor an instit ution’s ongoing compliance with Commission standards for accreditation, r equirement s of affil iation, policies and procedures, and/or applicable federal regulatory requirements. The instit ution will submit one or more follow -up report s on a sche dule directed by the Commission and ma y host one or more visits by Commission repr esent atives. Procedures for thi s review are provided i n Follow-Up Reports and Visits Procedures. The t ypes of follow -up report s and visits are listed below and described in more detail in the Commi ssion’s Follow-Up Reports G uide lines and Follow-Up Reports and Visits Procedures. 1. Suppleme ntal Information Report (SIR) 2. Monitoring Re port 3. Monitoring Re port and Follow-U p Te am Visit 4. Warni ng Report and Warning Visit 5. Probation Re port and Probation Visit 6. Show Cause Report and Show Cause Visit 7. Commi ssion Liaison Guidance Visit (CLGV) Accre ditation Materials: F ollow-Up Report, Teach -Out Plans and Agree ments Form, Teach -Out Pl ans and Agree ments Review Report, Team Report, Institutional Response, Tea m Chair’s Confidential Brief, Third -Party Comm ents, History of Com plaints V. Annu al M onitoring of Institutions The Com mission staff conduct annual monitoring activitie s to assess institutional strengths and stabil ity or identify concerns with an institution’s ongoing compliance with the Commission’s standards for ac creditation, requirements of affiliation, policies and procedure s, and/or applicable federal regulatory requirements as outlined in Accre ditat ion Review Cycle and Monitoring Policy and Procedures. A. Annu al I nstitutional Update (AIU) The Annual Institutional Update (AIU) is one of the regular and systematic approaches used by the Com mission to monitor key data indicators. The Commission may reque st information from t he institution or require the submiss ion of a writte n report based on these da ta in accordance with Out of Cycle Monitoring Procedures. B. Collec tion and Maintenance of Institutional Data The Com mission regularly collects and maintains data a bout institutions which are used for monit oring purposes and to convey important information to the public. Institutions must kee p information updated and provide accurate information to t he Commission at

Acc reditation Activities Guidelines Page 4 Disclaimer: The material provided in these guidelines was developed to provide additional guidance and descriptions of accreditation activities. Commission Policy and Procedures will govern in the case of a conflict with this material. For any questions about an institution’s accreditation status or for additional information about MSCHE’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies, and procedures, you should contact MSCHE staff. This material is not intended as a substitute for prof essional advice from MSCHE staff and use of the material does not guarantee any specifi c accreditation outcome. regular i ntervals. VI. Out of Cycle M onitoring The Com mission staff will conduct monitoring activities outside of regularly scheduled acc reditation activities at any time to verify information that raises concerns about a membe r instit ution’s ongoing compliance with the Commission’s standa rds for accre ditation, requirements of affili ation, policies and procedures, and applicable federal regulatory requirements. Proce dures for this review are provided in Out of Cy cle Monitoring Procedures. A. Requests for In formati on (RFI) Revie w The RF I is a simple mechanism for the Commission s ta ff to outreach t o institutions quickl y for information that can inform whether to request an additional written report If more informat ion is needed, the Commission staff will re quest an out of cycle suppleme ntal information report. Nothing requires that the Commission first seek updates or information t hrough an RFI when an out of cycle s upple mental i nfor ma tion report (OOC SIR) is deemed nec essary. B. Out of Cycle Supplemental Information Reports (OOC SIRs) An out of cycl e supplemental information report (OOC S IR) is reque sted by Commi ssion staff when the Commission has obtained information that raises concerns related t o the institution’s compliance with the Commission’s standards for acc reditation, requirements of affiliation, policy and procedures, and applicable federal regulat ory requirements. The Commission staff may request an OOC SIR after a n RFI. C. Teach Out Pl an and Teach-Out A gre ement(s) A teach-out plan is required in conjunc tion with certain substantive change requests such as change in legal status, form of control, or i nstitutional closure or as directed by the Commission in an accreditation act ion. The Commission requires a teach-out plan fo r instit utions applying for candidate for accre ditation status and may require a teach-out p lan i n conjunction with warning non-complianc e actions or for other reasons as outlined in the Teach -Out Plans and Agreeme nt Procedures. For probation or show cause non -compl iance actions, the Commi ssion will always require a teach-out plan and teach-out agreements. The Commi ssion may request an updated teach-out plan and/or teach-out agreements to ensure tha t the teach-out is being implemented as planned. Procedures for teach-out plans and agreeme nts are provided in Teach-Out Plans an d Agree ments Procedures. Accre ditation Materials: Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Form, Teach-O ut Agreeme nts, Updated Teach-Out Plan, Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Review Report Subs ta ntive Change A substantive c hange review is required for any change that is considered substa n ti ve as deli neated in the Commission’s S ubstanti ve Change Policy and Procedures and federal regulation 34 CF R § 602.22. A substantive change review is a document peer revi ew by peer eval uators of the substantive change request form and documentation provided by t h e i nstitution.

Acc reditation Activities Guidelines Page 5 Disclaimer: The material provided in these guidelines was developed to provide additional guidance and descriptions of accreditation activities. Commission Policy and Procedures will govern in the case of a conflict with this material. For any questions about an institution’s accreditation status or for additional information about MSCHE’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies, and procedures, you should contact MSCHE staff. This material is not intended as a substitute for prof essional advice from MSCHE staff and use of the material does not guarantee any specifi c accreditation outcome. The purpose of a substantive change review is to ensure that the change will no t a dversely affect the i nstitution’s compliance with standards for accreditation, requi r em ents of affiliation, policies and procedure s, and applicable federal regulatory requirements in accordance with federal regulation 34 CF R § 602.22.Most substantive chang es are processed under t he procedures outli ned in Substantive Change Procedures, w it h the exc eption of changes that a re considered compl ex, which are described in the Complex Substa ntiv e Change Procedures. Th e Substant ive Change Guidel ines contain definitions and case scenarios for each type of substanti ve change. A. Substantive Change There a re 15 types of substantive change which are described on the Commission’s website a t www.msche.org/substantive-change/. A s ubstanti ve change site visit may be required a s part of the approval process for certain types of changes as require d by Commi ssion policy or procedure (Subs tant ive Change Policy and Procedures) and by federal regulation 34 CFR § 602.22(f)(1)(i-iii) and § 602.24(b). Thi s visit will be conduct ed by peer evaluator(s) selected by the Commission and/or by a Commission staff me mber. The Commission may require the institution to submit written follow -up reports and/ or host follow -up visit s to monitor substantive changes. Visits: Substantive Cha nge Site Visit (to Branch Campuses and Additional Loca tions) Accre ditation Materials: Substant ive Change Request F orm and documentation, Teach -Out Pl ans and Agreem ents Form, Teach-O ut Plans and Agreem ents Revie w Report, Substantive Change Review Report B. Complex Subs ta ntive Change Certa in substantive changes are considered complex and are processed under different procedures as e xplained in Complex Substantive Change Procedures. Complex substantive changes are document reviews conducted by peer evaluat ors with specia lized professional expertise (e.g., financial, accounting, m ergers, acquisitions, compl iance, regulatory, etc.) selected by the Commission. A comple x substantive change suppl emental information report and a complex substantive change site visit are required a s part of the approval process in accordance with the Commission’s Com ple x Substantiv e Change Procedures and federal regulati on 34 CF R § 602.24(b). An instit ution will enter into a new comprehensive review (early self-s tudy e valuation) following a complex substantive change as required by federal regulation 34 CFR § 602.22(h). Visits : Complex Substant ive Change Site Visit Accre ditation Materials: Com plex Substantive Change Preliminary Review Form, Complex Substantive Change Request Form, Teac h -Out Plans and Agreeme nts Form, Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Review Report, Complex Substantive Change Review Report, Institutional Response, Complex Subs tant ive Change Confi dential Brief, Complex Substantive Change Monitori ng Report,

Acc reditation Activities Guidelines Page 6 Disclaimer: The material provided in these guidelines was developed to provide additional guidance and descriptions of accreditation activities. Commission Policy and Procedures will govern in the case of a conflict with this material. For any questions about an institution’s accreditation status or for additional information about MSCHE’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies, and procedures, you should contact MSCHE staff. This material is not intended as a substitute for prof essional advice from MSCHE staff and use of the material does not guarantee any specifi c accreditation outcome. Comple x Substantive Change Site Visit Report VII. Voluntary Surrender Institut ions may voluntarily surrender candidate for accre ditation status or accreditation at any tim e. The institution must obtain the appropriate and nece ssary approvals from the Commi ssion to voluntarily surrender and meet certain other conditions, including th e pa yment of any outsta nding dues and fees. There are three different types of voluntary surrender: (1) Rema in Operational Not a Change of Accreditor, (2) Change of Primary Accredit or, and (3) Unplanned Insti tutional Closure. Procedures for this review are found in Voluntary Surr ende r Procedures. A voluntary surrende r may also require the submission and approval of a teac h - out pl an i n accordance with the Commission’s T eac h -Out Pl ans and Agreements Policy and Procedures. A. Remain Operati onal Not a Chan ge of Acc reditor The i nstitution wants to terminate its membership with the Middle States Commission on Higher Educ ation (MSCHE) and no longer maintain MSCHE acc reditation but will re main operational as an institution of higher education as defined in federal regulation. Thi s type of voluntary surrender does not apply to institutions who are changi ng primary accreditor. B. Change of Primary Acc reditor The i nstitution wants to terminate its membership with the Middle States Commission on Higher Educ ation (MSCHE) and no longer maintain MSCHE acc reditation and will c hange its primary accreditor to another United States Department of Education (USDE) recognized a ccreditor. C. Unplann ed Institutional Closure The Com mission deems an institutional closure that has alrea dy occurred or will occur i n six (6) months or less to be a voluntary surrender due to unplanned instit utional closure. VIII. Other P roceedings A. Show Cause Appearance As part of due proce ss, the institution is provided the opportunity to appear before the Commi ssion when the Commission meets to consider the institution’s show cause status in a ccordance with the Commission’s procedures Show Cause Appe arance Bef ore the Commiss ion P rior to Adve rse Action Proc edures. B. Appeal Heari ng As part of due proce ss, the institution is provided the opportunity to appeal an adve rse act ion in accordance with the Commission’s Appeals from Adv erse Actions Procedures.

Acc reditation Activities Guidelines Page 7 Disclaimer: The material provided in these guidelines was developed to provide additional guidance and descriptions of accreditation activities. Commission Policy and Procedures will govern in the case of a conflict with this material. For any questions about an institution’s accreditation status or for additional information about MSCHE’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies, and procedures, you should contact MSCHE staff. This material is not intended as a substitute for prof essional advice from MSCHE staff and use of the material does not guarantee any specifi c accreditation outcome. C. Arbitration of Disputes Con ce rning Final Adverse Actions A post-appeal proceedi ng in which certain defined dis pute s are resolved by an Arbitrat or out of court, without a judge or jury, pursuant to t he appropriate rules establ ished by the Arbitration Administrator and in accordance with the Commi ssion’s A r bi tra tio n o f D ispu te s Con cer nin g Fi na l Advers e A ctio ns Pr o cedur es. Number: Version: 2026 -01-01 Accreditation- Activities - Guidelines (v. 2026 -02-07- editorial) Effective Date: January 1, 2026 Previously Issued: N/A Approved: Approved by President (January 19, 2026) Initial Approval Date: 2018 -07-31 (Approved by Cabinet) Revisions: March 1, 2021; January 1, 2026 Federal Regulations: §602.18(e) Ensuring consistency in decision- making; §602.19 Monitoring and reevaluation; §602.22 Substantive change Related Documents: Accreditation Actions Policy and Procedures; Accreditation Assessment Procedures; Accreditation Review Cycle and Monitoring Policy and Procedures; Addition or Change of Accreditor to MSCHE Procedures; Application and Candidacy Review Cycle and Monitoring Policy; Appeals from Adverse Actions Procedures; A rbi tra ti on of Di spu tes Co nc ern ing F ina l Ad v erse Ac ti ons Pro c edur es; Ca ndid a te Ass es sme nt P roce dur es; Complex Substantive Change Procedures; Follow - Up Report s Guidelines; Follow - Up Report s and Visit s Procedures; Out of Cycle Monitoring Procedures; Peer Evaluators Policy and Procedures; Pre - Application Determination of Eligibility to Apply Procedures; Show Cause Appearance Prior to Adverse Action Procedures; Substantive Change Policy, Procedures and Guidelines; Teach - Out Plans and Agreements Policy and Procedures; Voluntary Surrender Procedures;