This is a response to Columbia University's submission to ensure all 14 standards are met.
Accreditation is a voluntary process involving peer review intended to strengthen, sustain and foster confidence in the quality and integrity of the institution as well as higher education in general. It is designed to underscore focus on institutional mission and its links to judgement around quality, fiscal integrity, the maintenance of adequate institutional resources, and academic freedom of the faculty; it is also used as a measure of quality to enable access to federal financial aid. Middle States Commission on Higher Education (www.msche.org) reviews accredited institutions every ten years, while also requiring a written periodic report halfway between the decennial reviews.
In addition to university-wide accreditation, a number of Columbia schools and programs are accredited by specialized, discipline-specific accrediting agencies.
