The accreditation process provides the institution seeking (re)accreditation a rigorous, independent source of quality assurance and recommendations for improvements. To maximize its benefits, the board must actively engage in every stage of the accreditation process.

An institution is accredited for a fixed period, typically seven to ten years, though this schedule may be shortened by the accreditor if the institution has deficiencies that must be corrected and revisited sooner. There are separate processes and calendars for accrediting “Substantive Changes” as well as for specialized accreditation, each of which this section will discuss.

Institutional accreditors follow the basic same accreditation process which can be broadly divided into three stages:

• The Self-study
• The Accreditation Team’s Visit and Report
• The Commission’s Decisions and Follow-up

Members can access the full toolkit:

Section 1. Introduction

Section 2. Understanding Accreditation Standards and Policies

Section 3. The Accreditation Process: Gaining Value at Every Stage

Section 4. Accreditation Challenges

Section 5. Case Studies, Additional Resources