Accreditation

Accreditation is a process by which institutions of higher education undergo a review to assess and certify educational excellence, meeting a rigorous set of common quality standards established by an accrediting body.

Institutional Accreditation

On April 24, 2026 Swarthmore College successfully completed the application process and was approved to become accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The College has completed all required notifications of its change of accreditors to external agencies and submitted a final voluntary surrender of accreditation request to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

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Swarthmore College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.).

Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Commission indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Accreditation by the Commission is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

Inquiries regarding the accreditation status by the Commission should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals also may contact:

New England Commission of Higher Education
301 Edgewater Place, Suite 210, Wakefield, MA 01880
(781) 425 7785
E-Mail: info@neche.org

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MSCHE has informed Swarthmore that it will process the College's voluntary surrender of accreditation request after the accreditor change notification that Swarthmore submitted to the U.S. Department of Education - Federal Student Aid Office on May 12, 2026, is processed and NECHE is reflected as the College's primary accreditor in the Eligibility and Certification Approval Report (ECAR). In the meantime Swarthmore remains on the MSCHE roster.

Swarthmore College is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE or the Commission) www.msche.org. Swarthmore College's accreditation status is accredited. The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on June 27, 2019 was to reaffirm accreditation. MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions. The Commission’s geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States.

ABET

ABET, Inc., is responsible for the specialized accreditation of educational programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. ABET accreditation is assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. ABET accredits postsecondary degree-granting programs housed within regionally accredited institutions. ABET accredits programs only, not degrees, departments, colleges, or institutions. Criteria for engineering program accreditation

The Swarthmore College Engineering Program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), 415 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201-4405, (410) 347-7700. A statement of the engineering program accreditation status may be found on the ABET website (here).

Teacher Certification

Swarthmore offers a competency-based teacher preparation program for students who seek secondary certification from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Teacher Education Committee has established criteria for certification in Biology, Chemistry, Citizenship Education, English, French, German, Mathematics, Physics, Social Sciences, Social Studies, and Spanish that meet both the "General Standards" and the "Specific Program Guidelines for State Approval of Professional Educational Programs." Students in Pennsylvania must have completed 48 credit hours (or 12 Swarthmore College credits) to be admitted to the teacher certification program. In order to be certified each candidate must pass the specific PRAXIS exams required by Pennsylvania for their certification area.

Swarthmore's Department of Educational Studies offers a competency-based teacher preparation program that meets both the General Standards and the Specific Program Guidelines for State Approval of Professional Educational Programs.