Peirce College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (267.284.5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council of Higher Education Accreditation.

The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education for accrediting activities in the Middle States region, which includes the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

To see the current accreditation phase and accreditation status with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education click here.

Degree Program Accreditations and Approvals

The American Bar Association (ABA) approves the Peirce College certificate, associate and bachelor’s programs in Paralegal Studies. 

• Accreditation was reapproved in February 2020.
• The next self-study is due November 15, 2025.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accredits the Peirce College Associate and Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration and the Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. ACBSP accreditation does not pertain to the Human Resource Management or the Organizational Leadership & Management program. 

• Accreditation was reaffirmed on May 11, 2012.
• A Quality Assurance Report was accepted on April 19, 2018.
• A Status Report was submitted on February 15, 2020.
• The next self-study is due July 15, 2020.

The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) accredits the Peirce College Associate in Science degree in Health Information Technology (HIT) and the Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Administration (HIA). 

• The initial accreditation for HIT occurred on April 19, 2013, and the most recent Annual Program Assessment Report (APAR) was accepted in August 2021. The next self-study for HIT is due in 2023-2024.
• The initial accreditation for HIA occurred on December 6, 2016, and the most recent APAR was accepted in August 2021. The next self-study for HIA is due in 2026-2027.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) confirms that Peirce College’s Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management degree program fully aligns with the SHRM HR curriculum guidelines.

• Alignment renewal was completed on May 20, 2016.
• The renewal period for this alignment is January 2017 to December 2021

State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member states, districts and territories in the United States, which establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. It is intended to simplify the process of taking online courses for credit offered by postsecondary institutions based in another state. SARA is overseen by a national council (NC-SARA) and administered by four regional education compacts.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approved the Peirce College application to participate in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) on December 12, 2016. NC-SARA welcomed Peirce as an institutional participant in January 2017.

Please visit the NC-SARA website for current information, including a directory of participating institutions.

This page was last updated in July 2021.