Programs new to accreditation have a required Readiness Review 12–18 months before the on-site visit.
Before the 18-Month Accreditation Process
Are you ready for Accreditation?

  • Read through our key documents and consider our Eligibility Requirements.
  • Focus on Assessment Planning.
  • Begin working on your preliminary Self-Study Report to submit for your Readiness Review (if required).

The 18-Month Accreditation Process

1. Complete the Readiness Review
1 year before your On-Site Visit

  • Collect samples of student work, syllabi, textbooks, and sample assignments.
  • Complete your Readiness Review (if required)

2. Submit your Request for Evaluation
Year of your On-Site Visit

  • Submit your Request for Evaluation (RFE) of the year of your program’s On-Site Visit.
  • We will invoice your institution for the On-Site Visit, set a visit date, and form a review team.

3. Complete and submit your Self-Study Report
Year of your On-Site Visit

  • Complete and submit your Self-Study Report to us.
  • The review team assigned to your program begins reviewing your Self-Study Report.
  • Participate in the Institutional Representatives webinars provided by your commission (details will be emailed to Primary and Secondary Institutional contacts).

4. The On-Site Visit takes place
On-Site Visit

  • Prepare for your On-Site Visit. Finalize the visit schedule, arrange student and faculty interviews, and, finally, set up rooms with display materials for the review team. You. should begin planning and preparation months.
  • Your On-Site Visit typically lasts three days (usually Sunday through Tuesday). It includes a review of your materials; interviews with students, faculty, staff, and administrators; and concludes with an exit meeting, when the team will convey its findings.

5. Due Process and the Accreditation Decision
1 Week After the Visit

  • Provide the review team with corrections to any errors of fact in presentations at the exit meeting.
    2-3 months after the visit
  • Your institution receives the Draft Statement, a formal communication of your review team’s findings.
    3-4 months after the visit
  • During the 30-Day Due Process period, your institution responds to any shortcomings identified in the Draft Statement.

The AUAC commissions meet to decide Accreditation Actions four times a year – Fall, Winter, Summer, and Spring. At this meeting, your program’s accreditation is discussed and determined. Your institution is formally notified of the accreditation action via the Final Statement, about two weeks after the meeting.