Application Process

An Application can be submitted at any time.

The original of the completed application is sent to the Secretary of the Accreditation Review Board. It must be mailed in a manner (e.g. US Postal Service - Certified or Federal Express) that requires a signature upon receipt.

Applications will be reviewed by the Secretary of the Accreditation Review Board for technical completeness. If not complete, the applicant will be notified by Certified mail that there is a specific omission(s). An application for accreditation will not proceed until the applicant has submitted materials that correct the omission(s). An applicant can voluntarily withdraw from the review process at any time point.

Three remaining copies of the application are held by the applicant until instructions are given by the Secretary of the Accreditation Review Board to forward to review team members. The applications sent to the review team members must be identical to the one sent to the Secretary. These applications must be sent out to review team members within one week of notification of the team’s membership.

Once an application is submitted, the accreditation process will take approximately nine months. It is possible that the review could take longer than nine months. The Secretary will keep the applicant informed on the application’s status. In general terms, the process involves the formation of a Review Team, a site visit by the Team, the preparation of a report by the Review Team, and a final determination on granting accreditation by the Accreditation Review Board (ARB).

The Accreditation Review Board has the sole authority to grant accreditation. This recognition is awarded when a program is judged to be in substantial compliance. Normally, accreditation is granted for a six-year period.

The Chair of the ARB will send a letter to each applicant that announces the outcome of the ARB decision regarding accreditation. This letter will be sent within 30 days of when the ARB meets to consider review team recommendations and vote on granting accreditation.

The accreditation period begins upon receipt of the notification letter and extends to December 31 of the sixth year. For example, a six-year accreditation granted on October 1, 2002 will expire, unless a program is reaccredited, on December 31, 2008. A $100 yearly accreditation is fee is charged.