La Salle University keeps its accreditation after warning
Middle States last year warned the Philadelphia Catholic university its accreditation could be in jeopardy for not meeting a standard involving “planning, resources and institutional improvement."
La Salle University no longer faces a warning about the status of its accreditation.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education said Friday it had “reaffirmed” the school’s accreditation, which is crucial for colleges because it allows them to receive federal and state financial aid.
The accrediting body last year had warned the Philadelphia Catholic university its accreditation could be in jeopardy for not meeting a standard involving “planning, resources and institutional improvement.” A warning means the college appears to have the ability to make changes and meet standards and has “the capacity to sustain itself in the long term.”
» READ MORE: La Salle warned accreditation could be in jeopardy
La Salle, which has faced financial and enrollment challenges in recent years, must provide a monitoring report to the commission by Feb. 15 with details about its financial position. The school, the commission said, must provide “further evidence that the institution has achieved and can sustain ongoing compliance with documented financial resources, funding base, and plans for financial development, adequate to support its educational purposes and programs and to ensure financial stability.”
La Salle president Daniel J. Allen said he was grateful for the commission’s action.
» READ MORE: La Salle University saw a 40% jump in first-year students, as schools across the region see enrollments trending up
“This decision not just reaffirms our accreditation but also reaffirms the tremendous, real, and transformative progress that we have made as an institution over these past few years,” Allen said in a statement.
The university had seen a 28% drop in overall enrollment from 2019 to spring of 2024, and it was one of four local universities deemed in poor financial health in an Inquirer analysis in fall 2024. The school’s net tuition revenue was $45 million in fiscal 2024, half what it was in 2015, and the school had experienced operating losses seven straight years.
But since then, the university has achieved higher incoming classes and has grown net tuition revenue.
» READ MORE: La Salle University’s enrollment dropped 28% since 2019. What is the school doing to cope?
The university reported a 40% increase in freshmen in fall 2025; the nearly 700 students represented the largest class since before the pandemic. Overall enrollment also saw an uptick for the first time in several years, to 3,263, the school said in October.
The school achieved the spurt while decreasing the percentage of students it accepts and making the school a bit more selective.
Allen at the time attributed the jump to the start of four new sports teams, an expansion in degree programs, and an increased focus on the student experience.
The university said in a news release it is on target for a large class this fall, too.
In addition, La Salle reported a 40% increase in net tuition revenue over the last couple years.
The school also touted more than $2 million raised during its recent day of giving, with gifts from more than 1,250 donors.
The university’s freshman-to-sophomore retention rate decreased to 66% in fall 2025, down from 73% the year before. But the university said in April that interventions, including a new academic support center in the library, seem to be working and that the school was running several percentage points ahead of last year.
“I could not be more proud of the La Salle leadership team and its faculty and staff for their commitment to this institution, their unwavering commitment to excellence, and the foundation that they have built for the long-term health and well-being of La Salle,” Pauline Scalvino, chair of La Salle’s board of trustees, said in a statement.
