Celebrating our reaffirmed accreditation

Dear Terrapin community,

We are pleased to share that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), our institutional accreditor, recently reaffirmed the University of Maryland’s accreditation. This concludes our decennial review, and the University met all of the Commission’s standards and requirements.

With this reaffirmation, MSCHE confirms that UMD meets rigorous, peer-reviewed standards of quality and integrity — standards that enable our students to access federal financial aid and transfer credits, while underscoring the overall value of a Maryland degree. It is an external confirmation of the excellence our community demonstrates every day.

The good news we share with you today is the result of a multi-year, institution-wide effort, expertly led by the Office of the Provost with partnership and participation from hundreds of community members. Together we completed a comprehensive self-study, evaluating how we serve our mission and our students against MSCHE’s Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation. This spring, a peer evaluation team affirmed our work by meeting with faculty, staff, students and leadership in College Park and at three additional instructional locations. 

We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this achievement and are proud of what it says about who we are and where the university is headed. The reaffirmation reflects the dedication of our faculty, staff and students, and the trust that students and their families place in us.

In addition to valued peer evaluation, many aspects of the process were genuinely ours: grounded in evidence, shaped by the people who do the work, and honest about where we can be even better. That spirit of institutional effectiveness is exactly what accreditation is meant to protect, and the self-study’s findings will inform our continued work under Fearlessly Forward, the University’s strategic plan. The next self-study evaluation is scheduled for 2033–2034.

This reaffirmation reflects the work of many across our community. We thank the members of the Steering Committee and the standards working groups, and the hundreds of faculty, staff and students who took part in town halls, open forums and the evidence-gathering that made our self-study credible and complete. Our thanks as well to Associate Provost Will Reed, who served as the University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer and coordinated this effort from the self-study through the Commission’s action. 

Accreditation is a foundation, not a finish line. The same commitment to evidence, reflection and continuous improvement that earned this reaffirmation will carry us forward. To learn more about the review, visit the Middle States accreditation review page. 
 
Thank you for all you do for the University of Maryland. Go Terps!

Sincerely,