Reaccreditation
Middle States Self-Study
Franklin & Marshall College is currently engaged in the essential work of reaccreditation. All higher education institutions in the United States must be accredited in order to grant degrees that employers, colleges and universities, and other institutions around the country will recognize, and to be eligible for students to receive federal financial aid. As an accredited institution, F&M has been evaluated and recognized for meeting comprehensive standards of academic quality, institutional integrity, and educational effectiveness.
The eight-year reaccreditation cycle is a vital and regular rhythm for all colleges and universities. The reaccreditation process itself lasts about two years. During this time, the College undertakes a comprehensive self-study and is evaluated by guidelines and procedures set by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), a peer-based nonprofit organization that ensures the educational quality of degree-granting colleges and universities.
An Opportunity for Growth
Reaccreditation is a collaborative, campuswide effort. This initiative offers an invaluable opportunity for thoughtful evolution as we recommit to our mission and envision the College’s strategic direction for the years ahead. Advancing a shared sense of purpose around key priorities requires active participation from all members across the F&M community — whether by staying informed with ongoing updates, sharing input through feedback forms, or joining campus forums — to ensure we align our core identity with the vision required to boldly advance F&M into the future.
This transformative work is carried out through three core stages established by MSCHE:
- A period of self-reflection and analysis
- A self-study report
- An evaluation visit
Reaccreditation Stages
Self-Reflection and Analysis
The self-reflection and analysis process requires that we complete a two-year self-study focused on how we meet MSCHE’s standards of accreditation:
- Mission and Goals: The institution’s mission defines its purpose within the context of higher education,
the students it serves, and what it intends to accomplish.
- Ethics and Integrity: In all activities, whether internal or external, an institution must be faithful
to its mission, honor its contracts and commitments, adhere to its policies, and represent
itself truthfully.
- Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience: The institution provides students with learning experiences that are characterized
by rigor and coherence at all program, certificate, and degree levels, regardless
of instructional modality, and all learning experiences are consistent with higher
education expectations.
- Support of the Student Experience: Across all educational experiences, settings, levels, and instructional modalities,
the institution recruits and admits students whose interests, abilities, experiences,
and goals are congruent with its mission and educational offerings, and commits to
student retention, persistence, completion, and success.
- Educational Effectiveness Assessment: The institution’s students have accomplished educational goals consistent with their
program of study, degree level, the institution’s mission, and appropriate expectations
for institutions of higher education.
- Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement: The institution’s planning processes, resources, and structures are aligned with
each other and are sufficient to fulfill its mission and goals, to continuously assess
and improve its programs and services, and to respond effectively to opportunities
and challenges.
- Governance, Leadership, and Administration: The institution is governed and administered in a manner that allows it to realize its stated mission and goals in a way that effectively benefits the institution, its students, and the other constituencies it serves.
Each of these seven standards is aligned with a dedicated working group of F&M faculty, staff, and trustees. Overseen by a steering committee, each team is tasked with investigating a specific standard — evaluating criteria,
examining campus practices, assessing outcomes, and gathering evidence to paint a
transparent picture of where the College is in compliance and where opportunities
for growth exist.
The self-reflection and analysis stage also included an on-site visit from a MSCHE liaison, which occurred in March 2026.
Self-Study Report
Evaluation Visit
Timeline
☒ Fall 2025: The self-study executive team forms, participates in the Middle States self-study institute, and attends the annual Middle States conference to launch the reaccreditation process.
☒ Spring 2026: The executive team appoints working group members and chairs, drafts the preliminary self-study design, hosts the Middle States liaison, and launches evidence collection.
☒ Summer 2026: Middle States formally approves F&M’s self-study design as working groups gather evidence to prepare for the self-study writing process.
☐ Fall 2026: Working groups review their evidence, develop a preliminary analysis of the College's performance, and outline self-study chapter narratives.
☐ Spring 2027: Working groups author complete first drafts of self-study chapters.
☐ Summer 2027: Working groups conduct peer reviews across chapters, gather community feedback, and refine their findings as the executive team synthesizes all chapters into a single, unified institutional narrative.
☐ Fall 2027: The executive team finalizes and submits the completed self-study report and evidence inventory to Middle States, followed by a preliminary campus visit from the Middle States evaluation team chair.
☐ Spring 2028: F&M welcomes the full Middle States evaluation team for its campus site evaluation visit and reaccreditation assessment.
Steering Committee and Working Groups
Our reaccreditation effort is powered by dedicated teams of F&M community members. Meet the Diplomats leading this important work across campus.
View working groupsGet in Touch
If you have questions or feedback, you can contact the executive team at self-study@fandm.edu.