- Qualifying students to receive federal financial aid.
- Our university to readily transfer course credits to and from other accredited institutions.
University Accreditation Ensures Academic Quality
Pennsylvania Western University is committed to providing you with the very best in higher education. The accreditation process promotes excellence by verifying that PennWest University continues to meet top standards for educational quality.
Accreditation also allows:
Middle States Accreditation
PennWest is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), an institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Middle States is the same organization that for decades accredited our legacy universities: Clarion (since 1948), Edinboro (since 1949), and California University of Pennsylvania (since 1951).
Learn more about Middle States and its mission or review the Standards for Accreditation, 13th edition.
The Self-Study Process
As an accredited university, PennWest regularly undertakes an in-depth self-study – a rigorous process of peer review, assessment, and evaluation that ensures we continue to meet the high standards of educational quality that accreditation requires.
The self-study is designed to engage our entire PennWest community – students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, and other community members – as we examine our university’s mission, demonstrate that we can accomplish that mission, and show that we are committed to continuous improvement that leads to student success.
The self-study process aligns with PennWest’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, which officially launched in September 2023.
Self-Study Timeline
PennWest’s initial self-study began with preliminary activities in Fall 2022. It will culminate in a visit from our Middle States evaluation team in Spring 2025, followed by the team’s report and action by the full commission. This timeline is included in the Self-Study Design:
| Date | Activity/Task | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2022 | Attend Self-Study Institute | X |
| December 2022 | Meet with Middle States liaison | X |
| Fall 2022 | Begin to draft self-study design; establish MSCHE Self-Study SharePoint site | X |
| February 2023 | Assemble Steering Committee | X |
| March 2023 | Submit self-study design | X |
| Sept. 2023 | Announce opportunities for participation (open call to university community) | X |
Subcommittees form and work begins
| Date | Activity/Task | Status |
|---|---|---|
| March-April 2023 | Finalize Steering Committee and working groups | X |
| March-May 2023 | Working groups finalize lines of inquiry | X |
| April 2023 | Host Middle States liaison for self-study preparation visit | X |
| Summer 2023 | Revise self-study design for MSCHE acceptance | X |
| Summer 2023 | Working groups meet | X |
| September 2023 | Launch 2023-2026 PennWest Strategic Plan | X |
Subcommittees collect and analyze data; draft self-study report created
| Date | Activity/Task | Status |
|---|---|---|
| August-December 2023 | Working groups gather and analyze data, report to Steering Committee | X |
| Fall 2023 | Hold launch event for the university community to share self-study plan, timeline, and opportunities for participation | X |
| MSCHE selects self-study Evaluation Team chair MSCHE chooses visit dates | X | |
| Spring 2024 | Draft self-study report | X |
| May-September 2024 | Revise self-study report draft and make available for campus review | X |
Final report created; MSCHE team conducts site visit
| Date | Activity/Task | Status |
|---|---|---|
| September-November 2024 | Send self-study report draft to MSCHE team chair (2 weeks before visit) | X |
| September-November 2024 | Host preliminary visit by Evaluation Team chair | |
| January 2025 | Finalize self-study report based on team chair’s feedback; share final report with university community | |
| January-March 2025 | Upload final PennWest Self-Study Report/Evidence Inventory/Verification of Compliance to portal (6 weeks before site visit) | |
| March 2025 | Host Evaluation Team site visit | |
| March-May 2025 | Receive MSCHE Evaluation Team report | |
| March-May 2025 | Develop and submit institutional response | |
| June-July 2025 | Commission meets to determine action |
Accreditation Reports and Responses
In order to maintain accreditation, colleges and universities in the Middle States region undergo a self-study every eight years and submit annual updates to the Middle States Commission.
PennWest is engaged in its initial self-study as an integrated institution. To keep our PennWest community informed, documents will be added here as the self-study progresses.
For questions about PennWest’s self-study, contact our Accreditation Liaison Officer, Dr. Susanne Fenske (sfenske@pennwest.edu), or Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness Becky McMillen (mcmillen_b@pennwest.edu).
Contact the Middle States Commission
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
1007 N. Orange St.
4th Floor, MB #166
Wilmington, DE 19801
www.msche.org
267-284-5011