Accreditations
The standard of excellence and quality maintained by Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) is substantiated by several organizations recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the US Department of Education (USDE). The College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and is approved as an institution of higher learning by the State Board of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Information about LCCC programs that are accredited by organizations recognized by CHEA or USDE is listed on the panel to the right.
Luzerne County Community College is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE or the Commission) www.msche.org. Luzerne County Community College accreditation status is posted on the institution's Statement of Accreditation Status (SAS) website, https://www.msche.org/institution/0585/.
The Commission's most recent action on the institution's accreditation status on June 21, 2021 was to reaffirm the College's accreditation status. MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions. The Commission's geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States.
Who is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education?
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges primarily in Delaware, Washington DC, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Information regarding the mission of MSCHE can be found HERE.
What does Middle States do?
Middle States' role is to assure students and the public of the educational quality of higher education. This is achieved through the accreditation process which helps colleges and universities demonstrate institutional accountability through a rigorous process of self-reflection and peer review
What specifically does the Middle States reaccreditation process entail?
The focus of this process is the Self-Study which is an intensive review of an institution's educational programs and services, student learning, and achievement of its stated goals and mission, as measured against the seven standards that have been developed by Middle States.
When is the Middle States Self Study visit for LCCC?
Luzerne County Community College hosted a virtual Self-Study visit in 2021 and accreditation was reaffirmed on June 24, 2021. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2028-2029.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education recognizes the value of the perspective of students, institutional employees, and others in the institutional community and therefore expects that the broader community be involved in accreditation and self-evaluation processes. Should you wish to provide comments, please use THIS LINK to send your comments to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. You can download more information on this process HERE. Third party comments should relate to whether the institution's performance is consistent with the Commission's standards for accreditation or requirements of affiliation.