Process, Timeline & Cost
Information for Programs Applying for Accreditation
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the NACEP Accreditation Commission voted on May 5, 2020, to postpone the 2020-21 accreditation cycle. All applicants from this cycle will now apply in the 2021-22 accreditation cycle.
To alleviate the overwhelming surge of applications in the 2021-22 cycle, the Commission voted to provide each NACEP Accredited Program one additional year of accreditation. For example, those programs that were up for re-accreditation in the 2021-22 cycle will now apply in the 2022-23 cycle.
Please click here to view the updated list of accredited programs which contains your program’s new accreditation expiration date and time to re-apply. Per normal, NACEP staff will send re-accreditation notifications to current accredited programs the spring before their pre-application is to be submitted.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at accreditation@nacep.org.
The Commission established the following deadlines for the 2021-22 cycle which is under Version 6 of the CEP Accreditation Guide:
Monday, January 4, 2021
The pre-application process opens for the 2021-22 cycle.
Friday, February 26, 2021
Deadline to submit a completed pre-application for review.
Thursday, July 1, 2021
Deadline to submit a completed accreditation application for peer review.
Click here for a detailed timeline.
The Commission established the following deadlines for the 2022-23 cycle which is under Version 6 of the CEP Accreditation Guide:
Friday, October 1, 2021
The pre-application process opens for the 2022-23 cycle.
Friday, December 10, 2021
Deadline to submit a completed pre-application for review.
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Deadline to submit a completed accreditation application for peer review.
Click here for a detailed timeline.
A concurrent enrollment program is eligible to apply for NACEP accreditation if it meets the following minimum criteria:
- Is a Post-secondary Institutional Member of NACEP in good standing. concurrent enrollment programs that are not currently members of NACEP must also complete a New Member Application.
- Is operated by an institution of higher education accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized Regional Institutional Accrediting Agency.
- Is operated by an institution authorized or licensed by the state agency for higher education in any state or country where it offers concurrent enrollment.
- Has continuously offered NACEP-defined concurrent enrollment courses for at least three consecutive school years.
- Has implemented the policies and procedures described in all NACEP standards prior to applying.
- Can submit documentation that the practices described in the standards were in place during the preceding school year.
- Can submit completed program evaluation reports for each survey type identified in the Evaluation Standards.
Typically a concurrent enrollment program has been in programmatic self-study review for at least one year prior to applying.
NACEP accreditation is valid for 5 years for initial accreditation and then 7 years for re-accreditation; concurrent enrollment programs must apply for NACEP re-accreditation 4 years after their initial accreditation in order to maintain continuous accreditation. To remain an accredited program during this period, programs must be postsecondary members of NACEP in good standing, pay annual fees required of accredited programs, and continue to implement policies and follow practices that meet NACEP standards.
The accreditation process includes five main steps:
- Self Study
- Attend an Accreditation Institute within 12 months of submitting a Pre-application packet
- File Pre-Application Packet and Undergo Candidacy Review
- Prepare and Submit a Completed Accreditation Application
- Peer Review
Accreditation Application Fees
- Pre-application Fee: $200
If given a required Accreditation Advisor, there is an additional $750 service fee - Application Processing Fee for one endorsement: $500
- Additional endorsement: $100
Before submitting the pre-application a college must join NACEP as a postsecondary institutional member. Annual postsecondary membership fees are $560. An accredited concurrent enrollment program must remain a postsecondary member in good standing to maintain their accredited status. Accredited programs pay an Annual Accreditation Fee of $250 per year, on top of membership fees. Learn more here.
Concurrent Enrollment Program Self Study—begins one to two years prior to submitting an application
A concurrent enrollment program seeking NACEP initial or renewed accreditation should begin a self-study one to two years in advance of submitting an application. During the self-study, programs typically assemble a team of individuals involved in concurrent enrollment from a variety of perspectives (e.g. program staff, participating faculty, registrar’s office, academic affairs, institutional research, etc.). The self-study team should review the manner in which the program implements all 16 of NACEP’s standards, develop implementation plans for any standards not yet in place, and identify the evidence and documentation necessary to complete an application. During the self-study, prospective applicants are encouraged to access NACEP’s self-study resources to strengthen their concurrent enrollment program, which is available to members under Member Resources.
Deadline: Friday, December 10 for 2022-2023 Cycle
Pre-Application Packet Coming Soon.
Concurrent enrollment programs seeking NACEP accreditation must complete a Pre-Application packet the year they plan to submit an accreditation application. Completing the Pre-Application packet signals to NACEP that a college intends to submit an accreditation application this year, ensures that NACEP can contact you with important updates about the accreditation process, and triggers a Candidacy Review. Immediately after you file a Pre-application packet, an Accreditation Commissioner will conduct a Candidacy Review to determine that your program is ready to submit a complete and well-organized accreditation application. The Commissioner will approve the program’s list of disciplines that are used to organize the application.
The Pre-application packet must be submitted online and includes questions about:
- Institutional characteristics
- Program size
- A list of courses offered for concurrent enrollment, organized by discipline
- Questions to gauge your readiness to apply (sample pre-application)
- Contact information
- Completed Coversheets for the following standards: F2, F3, S3, S4, A1, C3, P1, P2, E2, and Program Description
You can review the full list of questions in advance, and also save a draft of your work before submitting. Please consider the list of disciplines carefully as this will be the basis for how your application will be organized. See page 6 of the NACEP Accreditation Guide for more information. Your list of disciplines must be approved by your assigned Commissioner. The Commission may request a different breakdown.
During the Candidacy Review, the Commission will determine whether to:
- Approve your Pre-Application, allowing you to prepare and submit a full application;
- Not approve your Pre-Application, thus you will not be eligible to submit a full Application until the following application cycle; or
- Provisionally approve your Pre-Application due to outstanding concerns. In this case, you will be assigned an Accreditation Advisor to assist you with preparing the rest of your application if you wish to apply this cycle. There will be a $750 service fee for the Accreditation Advisor to cover the person’s time working with you. The Advisor will inform the commission if s/he determines that you are ready to submit an application in this cycle or not.
The filing fee for the Pre-Application Packet is $200, payable online by purchasing/credit card or by check. Pre-Application Packets must be filed the school year a concurrent enrollment program plans to submit an accreditation application.
Click here for a visual of the Accreditation Pre-Application Process.
A concurrent enrollment program typically takes 4-6 months to prepare an accreditation application. Instructions and forms should be downloaded here. NACEP only accepts electronic applications submitted via NACEP’s secure, password-protected document upload site (instructions will be provided to all applicants). Applications must follow NACEP’s Requirements for Preparing Electronic Accreditation Applications to ensure that the application is well-organized to facilitate peer review. Upon receipt, the program is invoiced an Accreditation Application Fee.
A complete application consists of:
- A program description, including a description of the university or college context within which the program operates
- A complete NACEP coversheet for each standard, explaining how the applicant fulfills the standard and describing the evidence submitted
- Evidence showing the program meets or exceeds each NACEP standard. The evidence includes comprehensive descriptions with contextual detail as well as sample documents illustrating that appropriate processes, policies, and procedures are in place to ensure continued implementation.
Under the guidance of a member of the Accreditation Commission, applications are reviewed by a two to three-person peer review teams who report their findings to the Accreditation Commission. The Commission votes on all decisions regarding granting or denying accreditation.
Immediately after an application is submitted, an Accreditation Commissioner screens the application for completeness. If an application is missing only a few pieces of required evidence, they may ask for additional documentation before a Peer Review Team is assigned. If an application is judged to be incomplete and not ready to be reviewed, it will not be assigned to a Peer Review Team, and the application will be withdrawn from consideration during that review cycle.
Each application is evaluated by a team of two to three peer reviewers from NACEP-Accredited programs. The reviewers are professionals in concurrent enrollment — program directors, faculty liaisons, administrators, high school instructors or other concurrent enrollment staff — and come from outside the state or system seeking accreditation. They thoroughly analyze each application and deliberate through conferencing. Based on their initial review of the application, the Peer Review Team will request clarification and additional documentation.
Following the initial review, the Peer Review Team conducts an interview with the applicant. The interview is an opportunity for the Peer Review Team to gain a better understanding of your program and the context in which it operates.
Commissioners provide ongoing support to peer review teams as they evaluate whether the application includes enough documentation of the type that fulfills the intent of each standard. Because there is great variation in institutional terminology and partnership programming, reviewers may request more information and documentation to clearly understand how a program ensures NACEP standards are met. Once the review is concluded, the assigned Accreditation Commissioner presents the findings of the Peer Review Team and a recommendation to the NACEP Accreditation Commission for a vote at an April Commission meeting.
Accreditation Cycle Updates
The Commission will only ask for one round of additional evidence verses two.
Site Visits
Site visits will be required of all applicants, for both initial and re-accreditation beginning with the 2021-22 review cycle. A NACEP staff member, Peer Reviewer, or Accreditation Commission member will attend a virtual site visit hosted by the concurrent enrollment program seeking accreditation or re-accreditation.
The Accreditation Commission is currently working on the process. More information will be released in the coming months on site visits and fees.
Specific questions about the process and timeline may be directed to the Chair of the Accreditation Commission, accreditation@nacep.org
The Interview is a crucial part of the Accreditation Process. It provides the applicant a chance to obtain clarification from the Peer Review Team. The Interview also provides the Peer Review Team with a better understanding of the program.
Starting with the 2021-22 accreditation cycle, the interview will transition into a site visit. More information will be released in the coming months such as timeline of site visits, fees, etc.
