Academic Accreditation

Canisius University is accredited by numerous national organizations. These accreditations serve as testament to the excellent quality of a Canisius education. These accreditations include:

Middle States

Canisius University is an accredited institution by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE):

1007 North Orange Street
4th Floor, MB #166
Wilmington, DE 19801
(267) 284-5011

The MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Visit Canisius' page on the MSCHE Website

Canisius’ Reaccreditation Process

Canisius re-accreditation was affirmed in 2015 and are currently undergoing a new re-accreditation cycle. We began a university-wide self-study process in Spring 2023 and will complete a site visit by peer reviewers in Spring 2025.

Canisius University Complaint Process

1. Students should submit complaints to Mike Yates, Associate Vice President for Student Life, at:
   @email

   The Associate Vice President for Student Life will coordinate response to complaints as needed with other University personnel.  Students must first file a complaint with Canisius University via this process before escalating the complaint to external entities.

   Violations of community standards, bias incidents, concerns about students’ well-being or safety, and other Title IX related incidents should not be directed to the Associate Vice President for Student Life but rather should be reported according to guidelines at our Bias Reporting page.

2. Following the completion of the internal process, or if no resolution is reached, a student may appeal to the institution’s decision to the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.
3. If a student has exhausted all these options, the student may address their concern to the appropriate office within NYSED, as directed by the above NYSED link or the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

NC-SARA Complaint Process for Students Residing Outside New York State

Canisius University participates in the NC-SARA consortium for distance education.  Among other benefits, this provides students in the United States (states and territories), but outside of New York State, with an effective complaint process:

As outlined above for New York State students, these students should seek resolution of complaints by contacting Mike Yates, Associate Vice President for Student Life, at:
@email

Student complaints must be filed first through the appropriate Canisius University channels as above.  However, if  student located outside of New York State feels that their complaint or concern was not fairly addressed at Canisius, they may contact the SARA State Portal Entity at NYSED.

or to the following official: 

Andrea Richards 
Supervisor of Higher Education Programs 
518.474.1551 
@email 
New York State Education Department 
89 Washington Ave 
Albany, NY 12234

Under the NC-SARA agreement, NYSED serves as our portal entity or point of contact.  It will investigate dishonest or fraudulent activity by any institution (school or university) participating in NC-SARA. This includes the possibility of an institution providing potentially misleading or false information.  NC-SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades or  conduct violations. Visit NC-SARA's Student Complaints Guide for a complete description of the process.

A student may appeal the institutional decision to NYSED within two years of the incident about which the complaint was made.  The NC-SARA website above outlines the appeal process as a resource for students.

AAQEP

Canisius University is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), a national accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The educator preparation programs have been awarded full accreditation by AAQEP through December 31, 2031. Accreditation acknowledges that a program prepares effective educators who continue to grow as professionals and has demonstrated the commitment and capacity to maintain quality.

AACSB

The Richard J. Wehle School of Business is the largest private institution in Western New York accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). The University has held this distinction of excellence since 1977. AASCB is earned by the best business schools in the world, and only 5 percent of business schools worldwide meet the rigorous standards of AACSB International Accreditation. To find out more about AACSB, contact them at 777 South Harbour Island Blvd., Suite 750, Tampa, FL 33602 (813-769‐6500).

Program Accreditations

In addition to these, several of our programs have been certified as meeting a high level of excellence by their respective professional societies.  These accredited programs include:

Please contact the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness to obtain or review available documentation.