Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools : Ask Biography

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The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation. It is one of six regional accrediting organizations for higher education institutions recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Department of Education. The Middle States Association is responsible for accrediting educational institutions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The Middle States Association also works with schools in the Near East, Far East, Africa, and Europe, and thus far with one school in Canada, and another in Chile

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The Middle States Association should not be confused with the "Middle States Accrediting Board" (abbreviated MSAB) [http://www.middlestates.org, an unrecognized accreditation agency that some diploma mills cite to legitimize their operations.

The Middle States Association is made up of three accrediting Commissions; the Commission on Elementary Schools, the Commission on Secondary Schools, and the Commission on Higher Education. Additionally, the Committee on Institution-Wide Accreditation serves as a bridging committee for educational institutions with grade levels covered by both the Commission on Elementary Schools and the Commission on Secondary Schools.