Statement of Accreditation Status
Rider University
- CEO: Mr. John Loyack, President
- Accreditation Liaison Officer: Ms. Debora Stasolla
- Commission Staff Liaison: To Be Assigned, Vice President
- Carnegie Classification: Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Large/Medium » No research designation
- Control: Private (Non-Profit)
- Former Name(s): Rider College
- Phase: Accredited
- Status: Non-Compliance Probation
- Accreditation Granted: 1955
- Last Reaffirmation: January 1, 2018
- Next Self-Study Evaluation: 2026-2027
Contact Information
2083 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville,
NJ
08648-3099
- June 30, 2026
Staff acted on behalf of the Commission to note the Commission liaison guidance visit occurred on April 24, 2026. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2026-2027. - June 24, 2026
To acknowledge receipt of the substantive change request. To note the institution's decision to close the additional location at 2727 Jinhai Road, Pudong, Shanghai, China 201209 that will cease operations effective November 1, 2026. To require immediate notification when instruction ceases at the additional location by email to [email protected]. To note that the Commission may rescind this action if the requested substantive change is not implemented within one calendar year from date of this action. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2026-2027. - March 12, 2026
To acknowledge receipt of the teach-out plan and teach-out agreements requested by the Commission action of October 30, 2025. To require that the institution complete and submit for approval, by June 1, 2026, an updated, comprehensive, and implementable teach-out plan and signed teach-out agreements with appropriate partner institutions (Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Policy and Procedures). In accordance with Commission policy and federal regulations, the teach-out plan must provide for the equitable treatment of students to complete their education or transfer to another institution, if the Commission were to withdraw accreditation. To note the Commission may reject the teach-out plan and require resubmission if all of the required information is not provided. - March 12, 2026
To acknowledge receipt of the monitoring report. To note the follow-up team visit by Commission representatives to the main campus at 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 on February 2-3, 2026. To continue probation and note that the institution's accreditation remains in jeopardy because of insufficient evidence that the institution is currently in compliance with Standard VI (Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement). To note that the institution remains accredited while on probation. To note further that federal regulations limit the period during which an institution may be in non-compliance, which started on October 30, 2025. To request a monitoring report due July 13, 2026, demonstrating evidence that the institution has achieved and can sustain ongoing compliance with Standard VI (Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement), including but not limited to (1) additional information on documented financial resources, funding base, and plans for financial development adequate to support its educational purposes and programs and to ensure financial stability (Standard VI); (2) evidence that the institution's long-term financial planning reconciles the financial plan to the institution's financial capacity and assesses risk factors (Standard VI); (3) a record of responsible fiscal management, including preparing a multi-year financial plan and an annual independent audit confirming financial controls, with evidence of corrective measures taken to address any material findings cited in the audit or an accompanying management letter (Standard VI); (4) adequate fiscal and human resources, including physical and technical infrastructure, to support operations (Standard VI); and (5) compliance with its program responsibilities under existing federal title IV and other state laws and regulations, including any audits of financial aid programs as required by federal and state regulations and updated financial information relating to the institution's Heightened Cash Monitoring (HCM1) status (Standard VI) (Fourteenth Edition and Evidence Expectations by Standards Guidelines). To direct a follow-up team visit following submission of the monitoring report. To direct a prompt Commission liaison guidance visit to discuss Commission expectations. The date of the next evaluation visit will be determined upon reaffirmation of accreditation. - March 12, 2026
To note the Commission liaison guidance visit occurred on December 5, 2025. - October 30, 2025
To acknowledge receipt of the supplemental information report requested by the Commission action of October 7, 2025. To place the institution on probation and note that the institution's accreditation is in jeopardy because of insufficient evidence that the institution is currently in compliance with Standard VI (Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement). To note that the institution remains accredited while on probation. To note further that federal regulations limit the period during which an institution may be in non-compliance, which starts on October 30, 2025. To request a monitoring report, due January 12, 2026, demonstrating evidence that the institution has achieved and can sustain ongoing compliance with Standard VI (Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement) including but not limited to (1) additional information on documented financial resources, funding base, and plans for financial development adequate to support its educational purposes and programs and to ensure financial stability (Standard VI); (2) evidence that the institution's long-term financial planning reconciles the financial plan to the institution's financial capacity and assesses risk factors (Standard VI); (3) a record of responsible fiscal management, including preparing a multi-year financial plan and an annual independent audit confirming financial controls, with evidence of corrective measures taken to address any material findings cited in the audit or an accompanying management letter (Standard VI); (4) adequate fiscal and human resources, including physical and technical infrastructure, to support operations (Standard VI); (5) compliance with its program responsibilities under existing federal title IV and other state laws and regulations, including any audits of financial aid programs as required by federal and state regulations and updated financial information relating to the institution's Heightened Cash Monitoring (HCM1) status (Standard VI); and (6) an annual independent audit confirming financial viability with evidence of follow up on any cited concerns, including but not limited to the audited financial statements for fiscal year 2025 (Standard VI) (Fourteenth Edition and Evidence Expectations by Standards Guidelines). To request that the monitoring report also include further evidence of (1) documentation of standing with other accrediting and quality assurance agencies, including National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) (Standard II); (2) any submissions to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) (Standard II); (3) information regarding any required reporting related to this request, including any copies of reports and findings from the United States Department of Education (USDE) and New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) (Standard II); and (4) athletic, student life, and other extracurricular activities that are regulated by the same academic, fiscal, and administrative principles and procedures that govern all programs (Standard IV). To require that the institution complete and submit for approval, by December 19, 2025, a comprehensive, implementable teach-out plan and signed teach-out agreements with appropriate teach-out partner institutions (Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Policy and Procedures). In accordance with Commission policy and federal regulations, the teach-out plan must provide for the equitable treatment of students to complete their education or transfer to another institution, if the Commission were to withdraw accreditation. To note the Commission may reject the teach-out and require resubmission if all of the required information is not provided. To direct a follow-up team visit following submission of the monitoring report. To direct a prompt Commission liaison guidance visit to discuss the Commission's expectations. To remind the institution of its obligation to make freely available to the Commission accurate, fair, and complete information on all aspects of the institution and its operations, including making institutional representatives and additional information available to the Commission representatives when requested (Accreditation Review Cycle and Monitoring Policy and Procedures and Follow-Up Reports and Visits Procedures). The date of the next evaluation will be determined upon reaffirmation of accreditation. - October 7, 2025
Staff acted on behalf of the Commission to request a supplemental information report, due October 17, 2025, that provides additional information on financial health from the 2024 Annual Institutional Update (AIU) in accordance with the key data indicators documented in the Commission AIU Indicators and Metrics; Standard II: Ethics and Integrity; and Standard VI: Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2026-2027. - August 24, 2023
To acknowledge receipt of the substantive change request. To note the institution's decision to close the additional location at 1200 Merrill Lynch Drive, Pennington, NJ 08534 that ceased operations effective May 25, 2018. To remove the additional location from the institution's scope of accreditation. To note that the Commission reserves the right to rescind this action if any developments reveal additional information that might have affected the Commission's decision. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2026-2027. - May 12, 2023
Staff acted on behalf of the Commission to acknowledge receipt of the supplemental information report due April 14, 2023, providing information on key data indicators (financial health), as reported on the 2022 Annual Institutional Update (AIU) in accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR § 602.19(d). The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2026-2027. - March 24, 2023
Staff acted on behalf of the Commission to request a supplemental information report, due April 14, 2023, providing information on key data indicators (financial health) as reported on the 2022 Annual Institutional Update in accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR § 602.19 (d). The next evaluation date is scheduled for 2026-2027. - Distance Education
Approved to offer programs by this delivery method - Correspondence Education
Not approved for this delivery method - Associate's Degree or Equivalent Included within the scope
- Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Included within the scope
- Post-baccalaureate Certificate Included within the scope
- Master's Degree or Equivalent Included within the scope
- Doctor's Degree - Professional Practice Included within the scope to offer ONE program: Doctorate in Educational Leadership - Ed.D.
- Main Campus
Rider University
2083 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-3099 - Additional Location
Bancroft
311 Walton Avenue
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 - Additional Location
Sanda University, Shanghai, China
2727 Jinhai Road Pudong Shanghai
China - Other Instructional Site
Rider University @ Oakwood
3700 Barnham Blvd.
Los Angeles Blvd., CA 90068
Approved Credential Levels
The following represents credential levels included in the scope of the institution’s accreditation:
The following are links to sites that are not maintained by the MSCHE. These are provided as additional external resources about each institution that the MSCHE accredits.