Accreditation and Academic Compliance

Accreditation

The Johns Hopkins University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (267) 284-5000. Middle States is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Middle States has continuously accredited Johns Hopkins since 1921 and most recently reaffirmed the university’s accreditation in 2014 following a decennial self-study and reaccreditation process. In addition to the university’s institutional accreditation by Middle States, certain Johns Hopkins schools and/or programs are accredited by specialized accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

State Authorization

The Johns Hopkins University is authorized by the Maryland Higher Education Commission to operate as an institution of higher education in Maryland, offering educational programs beyond secondary education, including programs leading to a degree or certificate. MHEC is responsible for establishing and enforcing policies regarding the integrity, review, and approval of proposals for new and substantively modified academic programs offered by Maryland’s public and private colleges and universities. The Office of the Provost is the university’s liaison to MHEC, and works closely with deans and divisional program directors on proposals for new or substantially modified academic programs, which must be submitted for review and endorsement by MHEC. The Provost’s Office also works with higher education agencies in other states and is the official point of contact for issues related to State Authorization of distance education programs.

Contact Information for Student Complaint Processes

Policies and procedures that apply to all Johns Hopkins University students exist in the offices of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Institutional Equity.

Students who reside in a SARA state while taking Johns Hopkins University online courses and programs have recourse to file complaints with the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The Commission requires students to first exhaust all internal university complaint procedures.

If a student believes that the university has not appropriately handled the complaint then a complaint to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) should be filed within two years of the incident by following the procedures of the Commission.

Johns Hopkins University participates in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). This voluntary regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education provides the university with approval to offer its distance education programs in other NC-SARA states.

Students who reside in non-SARA states while taking Johns Hopkins University online courses and programs may obtain contact information for the state in which they reside through the Office of the Provost’s higher education agencies in other state webpage.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) policy on filing complaints about an institution of higher education can be found on its complaints webpage.

Information for Current or Prospective Students

Current or prospective students may obtain or review copies of the documents describing the accreditation, approval, and/or licensing of the university and its programs through the links on this website or upon request by emailing jhualo@jhu.edu.