Maryland has eleven public universities, two research institutes, sixteen community colleges, over twenty private or independent colleges, and more than one hundred seventy private career institutions and eight regional higher education centers.  All of these institutions work through MHEC to produce strong academic programs.  We hope that somewhere in this list you will discover the place of higher learning in Maryland that is just right for you.

At MHEC, the Department of Academic Affairs is responsible for higher education planning in Maryland.  In a nutshell, this means the development, production and tracking of a State Plan for Postsecondary Education, every four years, as approved by the Commission and the Governor.

MHEC is also responsible for the academic integrity of higher education in Maryland.  In the dispatch of this responsibility, the Department of Academic Affairs conducts many activities that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Certifies that all colleges and universities which operate in Maryland meet minimum requirements for granting respective degrees.
• Approves all applications to offer academic and academic-support programs offered by two-year and four-year public and private, including  both in-state and out-of-state institutions of higher learning operating in Maryland, veterans affairs, fire-rescue education and training, as well as certification of career schools and religious degree-granting colleges.
• Approves all workforce development, career and distance learning, as well as electronic and telecommunication systems education activities.
• Oversees the further development of academic libraries.

Through the work in the Department of Academic Affairs ​at MHEC, Maryland continuously improves at being the best state in America for higher education year after year.​​