Applying for
Accreditation
Institutions seeking initial accreditation with the American Council on Private School Accreditation Agency, should first request and review our eligibility requirements by reading our ACPSAA Eligibility and Guidance book.
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Meeting the ACPSAA standard on education should be the primary goal when working towards assembly to have the requirements met for eligibility. Applicants should accommodate all learning styles, choose a method of study that meets the needs of the majority of students, and meets the necessary requirements for offering online or distance education courses. Institutions should not compromise on the curricula they plan to offer by choosing the most convenient. Each step of the accreditation process is described in detail within the ACPSAA Eligibility and Guidance handbook.
Institutions should anticipate a minimum of two years, and often up to five years, to complete the accreditation process. This includes from completing the first step, to receiving a final decision on granting initial accreditation.
Some of the fundamental questions that are asked regarding the initial accreditation procedures include...
What are the first critical steps in the accreditation process?
When will my application for accreditation receive a response?
What are the costs involved when applying for ACPSAA accreditation?
What is a readiness assessment and how can I prepare for it?
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Eligibility Requirements:
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It can take up to 90 days from submitting for our accrediting agency to officially accept an institution's initial application for accreditation. The institution applying must demonstrate that it fully meets the eligibility criteria disclosed in the ACPSAA handbook.
In brief, the criteria entails the following:
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Each program offered by the institution is predominantly distance education or correspondence education (51% or more).
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The institution must be properly licensed, authorized, exempted or approved by the applicable state educational institutional authority (or its equivalent for non-U.S. institutions).
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At the time of the initial application, the institution must have been enrolling students in approved programs for two consecutive years under the present ownership or school board.
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There is evidence via audit or manually reviewed financial statements that proves the institution is financially sound and sustainable.
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The name being used by the institution is free from any associations that have negative activity that could damage the reputation of our accrediting agency.
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The institution, its owners, governing board members, officials, and administrators must posses sound reputations and demonstrate a record of integrity and ethical conduct.
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The institution agrees that as part of the application process, the owners, officers, and managers may be subject to a 3rd-party and direct background check requested by ACPSAA.
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Licensure​
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ACPSAA -accredited institutions and institutions seeking ACPSAA accreditation, must be properly licensed, authorized, exempted or approved by the applicable state educational institutional authority (or its equivalent for non-U.S. institutions). The institution must also be in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal requirements.
State Authorization: It is important to be familiar with state authorization of distance education offered in the United States. Some states enforce their own laws pertaining to institutions that offer distance or correspondence education to students in the state. Institutions are responsible for complying with these state laws and regulations. Important information about state authorization is available on the National Council on State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) website.
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Professional Licensure: Certain professions such as nursing, teaching, law, engineering, or veterinary medicine require licensure prior to entry into the profession. Distance education institutions should be familiar with specialized accreditation requirements and whether state authorization is required in order for graduates to be eligible for the licensure examination. The National Association of State Administrators and Supervisors of Private Schools (NASASPS) offers valuable resources and updates on state regulations.
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The ACPSAA Accreditation Handbook is a detailed compilation of our Accrediting Agency's standards, policies, and procedures. The responsibility for assuring the quality of an institution, rests first with the institution itself. The accreditation process assesses the capacity of an institution to meet all accreditation requirements. ACPSAA expects institutions to produce evidence of compliance with all standards set forth in the handbook.
Our accrediting agency requires its accredited institutions to offer distance education programs that focus on student learning, and carefully attend to every aspect of the students' experience at an institution. Our approach to institutional evaluation follows a multi-dimensional framework that supports the required guidelines for most accrediting agencies.
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(1) data gathering from multiple sources.
(2) mandatory interim updates and reporting.
(3) documented attestations from the institution.
(4) layered reviewed of documentation by academic, pedagogical, administrative, and financial experts.
(5) a comprehensive review of the entire record by members of our accrediting agency.
The fairness and integrity of an accreditation process is fundamental to the ability of an accreditor to function usefully and effectively. To this end, the ACPSAA Accreditation Handbook covers all aspects of each functional area of accreditation.
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ACPSAA Accreditation Handbook
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Processes and Procedures
Part 3: Accreditation Standards
Part 4: Appendices
ACPSAA Accreditation Fees
ACPSAA Annual Dues and Fees FY 2023-2024
ACPSAA Graduation Rate Benchmarks