By Madelyn Braho · Staff Writer
Grove City College is currently undergoing reaccreditation, a two-and-a-half-year assessment of how the college meets organizational standards.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is administering the 2026-27 process.
“We like Middle States because everything they look at goes through the lens of our mission,” Kimberly Marks, the co-chair of the college’s MSCHE self-study committee and director of academic records, said.
MSCHE is a member-run non-governmental reaccreditation organization, meaning the federal government does not have a say in whether the school receives reaccreditation.
“This independence from the government is especially valuable to GCC, as we do not receive federal funding,” Marks said.
According to MSCHE Vice President for Institutional Field Relations Kristy Bishop, the organization now has approximately 500 members, with more seeking first-time accreditation.
Grove City College last underwent reaccreditation in 2018. Since then, the college has completed smaller reports for maintenance.
But the full process is intensive, consisting of assessing the college according to seven standards. The standards cover a wide range of subjects involved in running a college. The main focuses of MSCHE are on how well the college is serving students academically and the ability of its operation and maintenance.
Serving students academically and running efficiently align with the mission, ethics and integrity of Grove City College.
MSCHE also covers student learning experience and adherence to program and degree standards, along with student support, such as “admissions, financial aid, counseling, advising, student life, athletics (and) data privacy,” according to the college’s reaccreditation website.
The standards also include a focus on academic assessment, how well exams reflect student learning and planning and institutional improvement, which concerns the buildings and grounds, campus staffing, technology and the institution’s resources.
The final standard involves the college’s governance, leadership ership and administration. This standard involves “examining the roles, qualifications and policies governing the college’s board of trustees, president and administrators,” as described on the school’s reaccreditation website.
The point of accreditation is to ensure the college meets outside standards of quality and assures other higher learning institutions that students receive a reputable education.
“It helps with employers, they want people that come from good educational backgrounds,” Marks said. “The focus is, of course, that we provide a quality educational experience for students and also that we seek and continuously improve.”
The college will be undergoing a self-evaluation to see how well its stated goals line up with where it is now and places it may need to adjust to meet them. It is a reflective process for the college to compare with other educational institutions on how well it serves students.
“Accreditation impacts all of us, even if it’s not something you necessarily see,” Marks said.
