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RIT's
Reaccreditation
Reflect. Innovate. Transform.
At Rochester Institute of Technology, we are in relentless pursuit of knowledge, excellence, and continuous improvement.
In the fall of 2023, RIT began embarking on a university-wide self-study effort in pursuit of re-accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) in Spring 2026. Our previous re-accreditation was approved in 2017. Accreditation in higher education is a process of peer review for colleges, universities, and educational programs.
Accreditation in higher education is a process of peer review for colleges, universities, and educational programs. Middle States serves as the accrediting agency for educational institutions in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The purpose of accreditation is to ensure that the education provided by RIT meets acceptable levels of quality. Institutional accreditation is required from colleges and universities so that students can be eligible for federal financial aid.
RIT strives to go further to ensure our programs exceed the national standards while reflecting our vision to leverage the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good. Institutional accreditation, and the seven standards developed by MSCHE, allows us to examine our entire university holistically.
The re-accreditation work will also inform RIT’s next Strategic Plan as we capitalize on overlapping efforts to advance our strategic priorities, identify gaps in the readiness to implement such priorities, and recommend opportunities to achieve institutional mission and goals. Priorities include improving student success, expanding RIT’s research enterprise, and prioritizing well-being into RIT’s campus culture.
A Steering Committee is responsible for providing leadership to the entire Self Study Process. This includes determining key priorities for the Self-Study, developing the Self-Study Design, establishing and charging Working Groups and coordinating their research, ensuring the timetable is implemented, communicating with internal constituents, arranging for institution-wide review of and responses to a draft of the Self-Study, overseeing the completion of the final Self-Study Report and arranging the External Evaluation Team visit.
There is a Working Group established for each Accreditation Standard. Each Working group is responsible to research and analyze how the university satisfies the particular Accreditation Standard and associated criteria, meets designated institutional priorities and other specific lines of inquiry developed by the Steering Committee and has demonstrated continuous improvement since the last Self-Study (2017).
Our accreditation process is led by three co-chairs:
We appreciate your feedback as we gather input. Comments and questions can be sent to accreditation@rit.edu.
— Middle States Steering Committee