Initial Applicants
New institutes seeking status as an Accredited Education Institute (AEI) that are not currently accredited can apply using the AEI Accreditation Portal. It is required that all new institutes submit a pre-application before gaining access to the application. Click “Register a New Center” within the portal to access the pre-application.
Please note that your institute must meet all standards and intend to actively pursue accreditation for the designation level sought prior to submitting a pre-application.
If you have not already done so, please review the Program Requirements before proceeding with your pre-application.
This voluntary program involves a peer review process. The ACS AEI Accreditation Review Committee (ARC) meets semi-annually to make accreditation decisions—in June and December. Linked below are timelines of the application and review process for both June and December accreditation cycles. (Please Note. If the dates on this timeline happen to fall on a weekend, the deadline will be the following Monday.)
December Accreditation Timeline
June Accreditation Timeline
Accreditation Review Process
Below is an overview of the entire accreditation review process:
Existing AEIs
AEIs are required to submit a reaccreditation application every three years to maintain accredited status.
The reaccreditation process is similar to the initial accreditation process, except that only one surveyor conducts the site visit for reaccrediting institutes. Also, instead of submitting a pre-application, the primary contact at the institute has been issued a username and password for the AEI Accreditation Portal. The institute’s reaccreditation application is made available six (6) months prior to the accreditation expiration date. A renewal notice is also sent via e-mail to the primary contact as a reminder with further details regarding the application process.
Finally, existing AEIs are required to submit an annual report. AEI staff sends an e-mail to the primary contact with information on how to complete the report in fall of each year.