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Accreditation

Houghton University, a nationally recognized Liberal Arts, Christian University is incorporated under the authority of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. Houghton University is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) www.msche.org. Houghton University’s accreditation status is Non-Compliance Warning. The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on June 27, 2024 was to warn the institution.

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.

MSCHE Middle States Commission on Higher Education

1935

First Accredited

2015

Last Accredited

2023-2024

Next Self-Study Review
Self Study Design: May 2022
Self Study: Anticipated September 2023
Onsite Accreditation Review: April 21-24, 2024
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Why does accreditation matter?

Accreditation is a form of peer review where representatives from other higher education institutions review an institution's performance on specific metrics. It is an important means of signaling to the public an institution’s academic quality, organizational effectiveness, and sustainability. Accreditation assures that you will receive:

  • A quality education.
  • Access to federal financial aid (this includes PELL/SEOG grants that do not need to be repaid and direct/parent direct student loans).
  • Higher likelihood to transfer your college credits to another institution or pursue a Master's or Doctoral degree.

To be accredited, a college must demonstrate that they meet rigorous published standards, including that past students have graduated and earned employment in their field and that courses are taught with consistent quality. When a college or degree program is properly accredited, you can be confident in its overall quality without having to conduct a detailed analysis on your own.

AAQEP logo Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation

Houghton University is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), a national accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The programs listed below have been awarded full accreditation by AAQEP through June 30, 2028. Full accreditation acknowledges that a program prepares effective educators who continue to grow as professionals and has demonstrated the commitment and capacity to maintain quality.

AAQEP-Accredited Programs at Houghton University
B.A. – Adolescence Education
B.A. – Inclusive Adolescence Education
B.S. – Inclusive Childhood Education
B.Mus. – Music Education
M.S.Ed. - Literacy
View Houghton University's Annual ReportSubmit Complaint to AAQEP

National Association of School of Music (NASM) Accreditation

Houghton’s Greatbatch School of Music has been an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) since 1947. Maintaining this accreditation involves annual reporting of activities, NASM reviews of every new program, and a rigorous self-study with visiting peer reviewers completed every 10 years by the school of music, ensuring that all degrees offered comply with NASM’s regularly published and updated standards.

Onsite Accreditation Review: April 2025
Submit Complaint to NASM

Complaint Addressing Non-compliance with MSCHE

Individuals can submit at any time a complaint regarding an institution’s compliance with Commission Requirements of Affiliation, standards, or policies or regarding an institution’s compliance with its own policies or procedures.

Matters outside of the Commission’s purview include disputes between individuals and affiliated institutions about admission, grades, granting or transferability of credits, application of academic policies, fees or other financial matters, disciplinary matters, contractual rights and obligations, personnel decisions, or similar matters. In addition, the Commission does not involve itself in collective bargaining disputes.

The Commission expects individuals to attempt to resolve the issue through the institution’s own published grievance procedures before submitting a complaint to the Commission.

Submit Complaint to MSCHE Commission
NC-SARA participating institution seal

Houghton University has been approved to participate in State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.

The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is a private nonprofit organization [501(c)(3)] that helps expand students’ access to educational opportunities and ensure more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of distance education programs.