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Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

Become a Member
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

Become a Member
ACS
Education

Not Just Standards—The Highest Standards

Delivering the highest-quality surgical education through rigorous accreditation

Access the Portal

The ACS Division of Education is proud to present the Standards for Accredited Education Institutes, which define the essential components of high-quality, simulation-based surgical education. These standards are organized into five core domains:

  • Personnel
  • Governance
  • Learners and Educational Resources
  • Educational Methodology
  • Advancement of the Field

This comprehensive manual serves as the cornerstone for developing and sustaining a robust surgical simulation program. It offers clear guidance for education centers striving to elevate the quality and impact of their training initiatives.

There are two levels of accreditation available: Comprehensive and Focused. While Comprehensive AEIs must meet more extensive requirements, both categories are held to rigorous standards and undergo a thorough, multi-tiered review process. Detailed distinctions between the two accreditation levels are outlined in the Standards Manual.

Download Standards Manual

Apply for Accreditation

Centers must meet all standards and intend to actively pursue accreditation for the designation level sought—Comprehensive or Focused—prior to submitting a pre-application.

Apply Today

Maintaining Accreditation

During the 5-year accreditation cycle, existing Accredited Education Institutes (AEI) are required on a yearly basis to keep documentation/evidence of compliance and more.

Learn More

Accreditation Timelines

The AEI application process is organized into two annual cycles—June and December.

See Timelines

Accredited Education Institutes

View a searchable list of all of our AEIs. Use the dropdown to select Education Centers.