Pursuing Accreditation (Initial Applicants)

New centers seeking status as an Accredited Education Institute (AEI) can apply using the AEI Accreditation Portal. It’s required that all new centers submit a pre-application before gaining access to the application. Click “Register a New Center” within the portal to access the pre-application. 

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. A letter of intent (LOI) is required in conjunction with submitting the pre-application and agreeing to the terms in our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

This voluntary program involves a peer-review process. The ACS AEI Accreditation Review Committee (ARC) meets semi-annually—in June and December—to make accreditation decisions.

Accreditation Review Process

Pre-Application

• Review the standards
• Submit online pre-application
• Upon approval of the pre-application, the institute will be sent login information to the online accreditation portal
• ACS staff confirms which timeline is being followed - June or December

Application

• Log in and complete the application by January 15 (for a June decision) or July 15 (for a December decision)
• Institute must meet all criteria at the time of application submission
• Institute remits annual participation fee

In-Person Site Visit

• Prior to the time of application submission, the institute provides three potential site visit dates taking place in the spring or fall, depending on the timeline being followed
• ACS selects the date and assigns the Surveyor(s) for the 1-day site visit; one surveyor for Focused site visits or two surveyors for Comprehensive site visits
• The institute is responsible for reimbursing the surveyor(s) for the cost of flights, hotel, and meals

Decision

• An ARC member reviews the surveyor report as well as the institute’s application materials and provides an accreditation recommendation
• The committee votes to make a final accreditation decision
• Institute is notified of accreditation decision and receives official letter, performance report, and certificate in June or December, depending on the selected timeline
• Institute’s designation is effective for a five-year term

If you have questions about pursuing accreditation, contact Cathy Sormalis, Senior Manager of the Program for Accreditation of Education Institutes, at edinstitutes@facs.org or 312-202-5535.