Affiliation
Requirements To be affiliated with the American Council for Higher Education and Accreditation, as a candidate institution, a higher education institution must meet the following requirements.
Accredited institutions meet these requirements by meeting the Accreditation Standards.
The institution:
1. has formally adopted a mission statement, which demonstrates that the fundamental purposes of the institution are educational, and which is also appropriate for a degree-granting institution and appropriate to the needs of the society it seeks to serve.
2. Offers one or more university-level education programs, consistent with its mission, leading to degrees in recognized fields of study and requiring at least one year to complete.
3. Award the bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, or, if awarding only the associate’s degree, include programs leading to degrees in liberal arts or general studies or another area of study widely available at the baccalaureate level from regionally accredited colleges and universities.
4. Has, for each of its educational programs, clearly defined and published objectives appropriate for higher education in level, standards and quality, as well as the means to achieve them, including a designated course of study acceptable to meet degree requirements , adequate orientation to the degree candidates in the satisfaction of the requirements and adequate procedures of qualification or evaluation.
5. Award only degrees appropriate to each graduate’s level of achievement.
6. In addition to the study of the areas of specialization specific to its main educational programs, it requires a coherent and substantive program of liberal studies at the post-secondary level, either as a prerequisite or as a clearly defined element in such programs.
7. Has adopted a statement that specifies the potential students it wishes to serve and admits qualified students into its programs under admissions policies consistent with this statement and appropriate to those programs.
8. Has students enrolled in its main educational programs and following its main educational programs at the time of the Commission’s evaluation.
9. Makes available to students and the public an up-to-date and accurate website and catalog or comparable official publication that sets forth purposes and objectives, Membership ACHEA 2 entry requirements and procedures, rules and regulations for student conduct , programs and courses, degree completion requirements, full and part-time faculty and degrees, costs, reimbursements, and other items related to attendance or withdrawal from the institution.
10. Has a charter and/or other formal authority from the appropriate government agency authorizing it to grant all titles it grants, has the necessary operating authority for each jurisdiction in which it conducts business, and is operating within its authority .
11. Has sufficient organizational and operational independence to be responsible for compliance with the Commission’s rules.
12. Has a board of directors that includes representation that reflects the public interest that oversees the institution; ensures that less than half of the members of the board of directors have any financial interest in the institution, even as an employee, shareholder or corporate director.
13. Has an executive director, appointed by and accountable to the board of directors, whose primary or full-time responsibility is to the institution, and who possesses the requisite authority.
14. Has a faculty sufficient in number, qualifications, and experience to support the academic programs offered, including an adequate number of faculty whose time commitment to the institution is sufficient to ensure fulfillment of classroom and out-of-class responsibilities essential to the fulfillment of mission and institutional purposes.
15. Has sufficient personnel, with adequate training and experience, to provide the administrative services necessary to support its mission and purposes.
16. Dedicates all, or substantially all, of your gross income to support your educational purposes and programs.
17. Documents a funding base, financial resources, and financial development plans adequate to carry out its stated purposes.
18. Has financial records that clearly relate to the institution’s educational activities and these records are audited annually by an outside auditor in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards for colleges and universities, adopted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
19. Has graduated at least one class in their major educational programs prior to Commission evaluation for accredited status. If the institution has graduated its first class not more than one year prior to the Commission’s evaluation, the effective date of accreditation will be the graduation date of that first class.