Keystone College staves off accreditation loss for now

Higher Ed Dive

Ben Unglesbee

January 2, 2025

Dive Brief:

• Keystone College will maintain its accreditation for now, as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education works through an appeal of its November vote to revoke the institution’s accreditation. 

• Keystone filed an official intent to appeal with MSCHE on Dec. 12, setting the process in motion. MSCHE had previously set a Dec. 31 date for withdrawing the Pennsylvania private nonprofit’s accreditation.

• A hearing on the appeal could come in mid- to late March, the college said, citing early indications from MSCHE. Meanwhile, the semester will begin as planned on Jan. 13, Keystone said in a news release.

Dive Insight:

MSCHE’s decision in November to pull Keystone’s accreditation came as yet another blow in a turbulent year for the college.

Keystone President John Pullo said in a Dec. 21 statement that “we strongly disagree with and are extremely disappointed by the Commission’s adverse action, but we are grateful for the opportunity to pursue our appeal of this decision.”

The accreditor based its vote on Keystone’s failure to provide evidence showing compliance with a handful of requirements around ethics and integrity, planning and resources, and governance and leadership. MSCHE also said Keystone had failed to “demonstrate that it can sustain itself in the short or long term.”

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