Backup Documentation

Institutions are required to keep appropriate back-up data to verify the ACICS Annual Institutional Report. During all scheduled and unscheduled evaluations, institutions will be asked to produce this information. Because the Council does not require the submission of back-up documentation in a particular format, it is up to the institution to develop a clear and concise method for reporting this information. If the back-up documentation does not appear to be consistent with the data published on the AIR, an area of noncompliance will be noted in the team report and the institution will be required to submit a revised AIR, corrected back-up documentation, or both, along with a revision fee.

The placement information should identify completers and graduates by the program enrolled. It also must indicate which students were placed in field, were placed in a related field, were placed out of field, are unavailable for placement for documented reasons, and are not working. All of this information can be published on the same spreadsheet in the format described in the previous paragraph.

For those graduates and completers who are working, the back-up data available on-site should include the employer’s name and telephone number, job title, and any other pertinent information to assist verification by evaluation teams. Although all of the information concerning the graduate’s or completer’s occupation may not be on the back-up documentation submitted to the Council, it should be easily accessible at the institution.

To download a Excel spreadsheet format that is used by institutions to submit to ACICS, please click here.