Peirce College is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) www.msche.org. The College’s accreditation status is Accreditation Reaffirmed. The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on March 10, 2022 was to reaffirm accreditation. The next Self Study evaluation is scheduled for 2028-29. To view Peirce’s  Statement of Accreditation Status (SAS), please visit the College’s directory listing on the Commission’s webpage.

MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Peirce College is authorized to award degrees by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

All inquiries concerning the accreditation of Peirce College can be directed to Rita Toliver-Roberts, Vice-President, Academic Affairs & Provost.

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 and reaffirmation are scheduled for summer 2022.

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 approved in December 2021.
• The current alignment period runs through December 2025.

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 has confirmed Peirce as an institutional participant since January 2017.

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

Additional information regarding Professional Licensure and the College's Complaint Process is posted on this website at Consumer Information.

This page was last updated in April 2022.