Accreditations


The standard of excellence maintained by Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) is supported by its various external accreditations. The College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is approved as an institution of higher learning by the State Board of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition, various academic programs offered by LCCC are accredited by external commissions. Additional details regarding LCCC accreditations can be found using the appropriate links to the right.

Middle States Commission on Higher Education


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.