Accreditation Frequently Asked Questions
What is accreditation?
How does an institution apply for ACICS accreditation?
What are the financial requirements for Initial Applicants?
How does an institution maintain ACICS accreditation?
What is institutional Effectiveness Planning?
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a status granted to an institution that meets or exceeds the stated criteria of educational quality. The purposes of accreditation are to assess and enhance the educational quality of an institution,
to assure consistency in institutional operations, to promote institutional improvement, and
to provide for public accountability.
Accreditation functions to:
- Evaluate whether an institution meets or exceeds minimum standards of quality.
- Assist students in determining acceptable institutions for enrollment.
- Assist institutions in determining acceptability of transfer credits.
- Assist employers in determining validity of programs of study and the acceptability of graduate qualifications.
- Assist employers in determining eligibility for employee tuition reimbursement programs.
- Enable graduates to sit for certification examinations.
- Involve staff, faculty, students, graduates, and advisory boards in institutional evaluation and planning.
- Create goals for institutional self-improvement.
- Provide a self-regulatory alternative for state oversight functions.
- Provide a basis for determining eligibility for federal student assistance.
Accreditation is a deliberate and thorough process and is entered into voluntarily for purposes of quality assurance and institutional enhancement. Accrediting agencies assess compliance with published administrative and academic standards and seek a continuous striving for excellence on the part of the institutions they accredit. As such the accrediting agencies serve students, society, higher education, as well as their accredited institutions and entities by striving to insure academic excellence and ethical standards. Providing appropriate accrediting criteria and enhancement services to its membership are key elements in achieving these goals.
Accrediting agencies through peer assessment, attention to educational trends, and a commitment to require both ethical business and educational practices at institutions, promote qualitative standards, policies, and procedures leading to institutional/organizational effectiveness. Within the higher education community, accrediting agencies, state regulatory agencies, and the U. S. Department of Education are all involved in institutional oversight. As already described, accrediting agencies are responsible for determining educational quality. State regulatory agencies are responsible for granting the legal authority for institutions to operate in their states and for consumer protection matters.
The U.S. Department of Education is responsible for determining the eligibility of institutions to participate in federal assistance programs and for enforcement of the regulations governing the administration of federal student assistance programs. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education, using Congressional mandated criteria, recognizes accrediting agencies to ensure that these agencies are, for the purposes of the Higher Education Act, "reliable authorities regarding the quality of education or training offered by the institutions or programs they accredit." Accreditation is either institutional or programmatic in nature, and it is intended to assess and enhance the educational quality of either an entire institution or a specific program of study within an institution. Programmatic accreditation is an assessment of a particular program of study such as law, music, or library science offered at an institution. Institutional accreditation means the entire institution has been assessed, from the governance and financial stability to the programs of study and student services of that institution.
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How does an institution apply for ACICS Accreditation?
- Before an institution may submit an application for accreditation it must demonstrate that it is eligible for accreditation. ACICS' eligibility requirements are described in the
Accreditation Criteria, Title I, Chapter
2. If you feel that your institution is eligible, please describe in writing how the institution meets each eligibility
requirement and enclose a copy of the institution's catalog. Please include a listing of all programs offered by the institution, the number of students currently
enrolled in each program, and the number of students who have graduated
from each program.
- Once it has been determined that an institution appears to meet the Council's minimum eligibility requirements, the institution is invited to submit an application for accreditation. The application materials are provided at this time. An audited financial statement for the most recently completed fiscal year (see related FAQ). A non-refundable application fee of $5,000 for each main location and $2,500 for each branch location are among the required
components.
- Following receipt of complete and acceptable application materials, the institution undergoes a resource visit to assess the institution's eligibility and readiness to proceed with the self-study phase of the application. This visit is usually one day in length and is conducted by a staff representative. This is determined based on the institution, its enrollment, and the scope of program offerings. The institution is responsible for the expenses incurred by the evaluation visit team.
- If the results of the resource visit indicate the institution is eligible, the institution is invited to complete the self-study phase of the application process. The chief on-site administrator of the institution is required to attend an Accreditation Workshop
within 18 months prior to the submission of the self-study. The self-study materials and accreditation workshop registration forms are available on this website.
Once the institution has completed these first four steps, the procedures for preparing the self-study and completing the application for an initial grant do not differ from those currently accredited institutions seeking a new grant.
- An on-site evaluation visit is conducted at the institution. The number and
background of team members and length of the visit depends on a number of factors including:
- level of accreditation of institution
- size of institution
- type of visit to be conducted
- type of academic programs offered by institution
- other special circumstances
For most initial visits, a team will have a minimum of a chair, a team member, and a staff member.
The team reviews the institution's self-study, compares it with the actual activities at the institution, and reports its observations in relationship to the standards contained in the
Accreditation Criteria. The institution is responsible for the expenses incurred by the evaluation visit team.
- The institution is provided with a copy of the evaluation visit team report and is invited to submit a response. The report, response, self-study, audited financial statements, and any other information about the institution are considered by the Council three times each year: April, August, and December. At these meetings, an applications for accreditation are considered and accreditation decisions made.
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What are the financial requirements for Initial Applicants?
ACICS expects that institutions evidence financial stability as required in Section 3-1-203 of the Accreditation Criteria. The Council's policy on financial stability for initial applicants for accreditation is described below. There will be an Initial Review of Financial Stability upon receipt of application. The institution must meet one of the following criteria before a resource visit will be scheduled.
| Option
1 |
Submit audited financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year
that demonstrate:
|
- Positive net assets,
- Current ratio above 1:1, and
- Annual loss of no more than the net assets reported.
OR
| Option
2 |
Submit audited financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year
that meet the following alternative requirements:
|
- Positive tangible net assets. Related-party loans may be considered as quasi-equity at this
point,
- Current ratio of at least .8:1, and
- Annual loss of less than the total net assets after adjusting for related party loans.
If the institution meets the Option 2 requirements, it must submit a Financial Improvement Plan
that explains how it will meet the ACICS requirements. An institution allowed to proceed under the alternative requirements is cautioned that it must improve its financial stability or it will not receive a grant of accreditation. The institution will be required to meet all of the standards outlined in
Option 1 before an initial grant of accreditation will be awarded. In addition, the financial stability must be reflected in audited financial statements for the fiscal year immediately preceding the Council's consideration of the application. An institution that fails to meet either test will have its application fee returned and will be invited to reapply when
its financial stability improves. Final Review of Financial Stability for an Initial Grant
The institution must meet ACICS requirements by submitting audited financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year
that demonstrate:
- Positive net assets, and
- Current ratio above 1:1.
If the institution fails to meet the final requirements, its application will be deferred until such time as it can reasonably demonstrate through audited financial statements that it can meet these standards. If the financial condition of the institution does not improve after deferral, the application will be denied.
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How does an institution maintain ACICS accreditation?
Receiving initial ACICS accreditation
may be easier than maintaining accreditation. Although receiving initial accreditation is a complex and daunting task which requires commitment to educational quality, once an institution has earned a grant of accreditation it must meet all of the additional requirements outlined in the Accreditation Criteria, Title II, Chapters
1 and 2. These
chapters also can be downloaded from this website.
These chapters explain that institutions not only must periodically reapply for accreditation, but
that they also must prepare extensive Annual Institutional and Financial Reports which summarize the enrollment and financial condition of the institution.
Furthermore, institutions may be required to prepare interim reports for a number of reasons. Finally, institutions must report changes in the mission, objectives, ownership, programs, names, location, and non-main locations whenever these occur.
This additional reporting helps keep ACICS abreast of the current conditions at the institution and assists the Council in its assessment of educational quality, but
it also can be an administrative burden for an institution not sufficiently organized to maintain its compliance with the Accreditation Criteria.
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What is Institutional Effectiveness Planning?
- Download Accreditation Criteria Title III, Chapter 1, Sections 100 - 113 and the
Guide to Institutional Effectiveness from the Publications tab. Please also review the most recent membership statistics for comparative data from the Summary of Key Operating Statistics.
- Carefully review your institution's plan to determine if you have included all of the required elements and verify that the plan has been updated with current outcomes, goals, and comparative data.
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