Application Process & Resources

The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) has established certain criteria that a dual or concurrent enrollment program must meet in order to be eligible for accreditation.   

To be considered for NACEP Accreditation programs must:

• Be a NACEP member in good standing with dues current at the time of application and maintained throughout the accreditation cycle.
• Have continuously offered NACEP-defined Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) or College-Provided Faculty program (CPF) for at least three consecutive academic years.
• Have implemented the policies and procedures described in all NACEP standards prior to applying.
• Possess and be able to submit documentation that the practices described in the standards were in place during the preceding academic year.
• Have attended a NACEP Accreditation Institute 12-18 months prior to applying for accreditation.

Typically, a concurrent enrollment program has been in programmatic self-study review for at least one year prior to applying.

Accreditation Application Fees (non-refundable)

• Letter of Intent: $200
• Application Processing Fee for one endorsement: $500
• Additional endorsement: $100

Before submitting the Letter of Intent 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 its accredited status.

Accredited programs pay an Annual Accreditation Fee of $250 per year, on top of membership fees. Learn more here. 

Please note: NACEP Accreditation is open to postsecondary institutions accredited by a regional, institutional accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education. Programs must be operated by an institution authorized or licensed by the state agency for higher education in any state or country where it offers concurrent enrollment. If you have questions about your program’s eligibility, please reach out.

An accreditation cycle is about a 24-month process that includes the academic year (Year 1) which involves the Letter of Intent submission, preparation of the application, evidence gathering, and final submission. The following academic year (Year 2) involves the active peer review of the application and evidence that concludes with the voting regarding accreditation status in April.

SELF-STUDY PREPARATION:

A concurrent enrollment program intending to apply for NACEP initial accreditation or re-accreditation should conduct a self-study one to two years in advance of submitting an accreditation application. A self-study provides an opportunity for concurrent enrollment programs to become more innovative, strengthen policies and practices, and institute greater transparency and consistency. The self-study concludes once the concurrent enrollment program is able to ensure and document that all NACEP standards are being met.

During the self-study, programs typically assemble a team of individuals involved in concurrent enrollment from a variety of perspectives, such as program staff, college faculty, registrar’s and processing offices, academic affairs, institutional research, high school partners, etc., to analyze how the program ensures they meet NACEP standards. Throughout the study, the concurrent enrollment program documents how it implements the practices and policies described in NACEP’s CEP standards and identifies the evidence and documentation necessary to complete the accreditation application.

UTILIZE THESE RESOURCES:

• Self-Study Assessment Worksheet for CEP & Self-Study Assessment Worksheet for CPF can assist your program in preparation prior to commitment to the NACEP accreditation application process and to ensure your program meets or exceeds NACEP's standards.
• Attending an Accreditation Institute, NACEP National Conference, or webinars related to content regarding NACEP standards for CEP or viewing archived conference sessions and webinars via the NACEP membership dashboard. Refer to the “Events” menu on NACEP’s webpage.
• Collecting documentation, resources, and examples of best practices from national peer practitioners via the NACEP members-only listserv.
• Refer to the “Application Process & Resources” menu (under the “Accreditation” menu on NACEP’s webpage) for resources such as, the Accreditation Guides, Survey Guide, Evaluation Toolkit, and NACEP publication Issue Briefs.
• Access the Resource Center and additional information via the “Resources” menu on NACEP’s webpage.

Join NACEP professionals from accredited programs for an in-depth workshop focusing on NACEP’s national standards designed to enhance the quality of concurrent enrollment programs.

Upcoming Accreditation Institutes

Deadline: Friday, December 1, 2023 for 2024-2025 Cycle

Click here for the Letter of Intent (available beginning September 1. You will need to log in to your NACEP organization account. Log in and then click the link if it does not show up).

Concurrent enrollment programs seeking NACEP accreditation must complete a Letter of Intent packet the year they plan to submit an accreditation application. Completing the Letter of Intent packet signals to NACEP that a college intends to submit an accreditation application, ensures that NACEP can contact you with important updates about the accreditation process. The Commissioner will approve the program’s list of disciplines that are used to organize the application.

The Letter of Intent must be submitted online and includes questions about:

• Institutional characteristics
• Program sized
• A list of courses offered for concurrent enrollment, organized by discipline
• Contact information 

You can review the full list of questions in advance, and also save a draft of your work before submitting it. Please consider the list of disciplines carefully as this will be the basis for how your application will be organized. See the discipline list can be found here. Your list of disciplines must be approved by your assigned Commissioner. The Commission may request a change to the organization of your list of disciplines.

The filing fee for the Letter of Intent is $200 (non-refundable), payable online by purchasing/credit card or by check. Letters of Intents must be filed the academic year a concurrent enrollment program plans to submit an accreditation application.

A concurrent enrollment program typically takes 4-6 months to prepare an accreditation application. 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 Secure Upload Site Instructions & Electronic Accreditation Application Requirements and Resources Guide 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
• Application Forms and Cover Sheets: Each standard requires a cover sheet explaining how the program meets the standard and describes each piece of evidence
• 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.

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. 

Site Visits are required for all programs for both initial and re-accreditation applicants applying for NACEP accreditation.

Site Visit Protocols:

1. Virtual site visits will convene starting in January and conclude by mid-March.
2. Programs will host a multi-day virtual site visit (based on availability).
3. There will be no cost associated with hosting a virtual site visit. 
4. The Coordinating Commissioner and members of the Review Team will be attending the site visit. 

Key Stakeholders:

• Institution Leadership (managing the concurrent enrollment program)
• Institution Faculty & Staff
• Program Staff
• Concurrent Enrollment Program Teachers or College Provided Faculty
• Concurrent Enrollment Students

Site Visit FAQ,  Sample Agenda, and Key Stakeholder Questions

ACCREDITATION & MAINTENANCE

Upon completion of the peer review process, voting regarding a program’s accreditation status takes place in April each year. Institution’s will receive an email notification of the findings letter and accreditation decision in early May. The findings letter outlines:

• Decision regarding the program status for NACEP accreditation
• If accredited, the required maintenance for compliance
  • Benefits and privileges as an accredited member
  • Information about the national press release (early June) & social media
  • Details regarding the Accredited Program Celebration at the National Conference for the presentation of Certificates of Accreditation and plaques
• Peer Review Team feedback and findings from the application review process

Once a program receives accreditation status, they must adhere to the following requirements and benefits (listed below).

• NACEP Postsecondary Institutional membership & participation that includes an Accredited Member Fee of $250, along with the Post-Secondary Member Fee of $560 (Total Amount: $810) throughout the accredited years.
• Continue implementation of NACEP standards through applicable endorsement(s).
• Complete an Annual Report (distributed in the fall).
• Volunteer to serve every three years either as a peer reviewer, board, or commission/committee member.
• If a program undergoes a substantial change(s) in policy or practice during your accredited term, notify the Accreditation Commission at accreditation@nacep.org.
• Use of NACEP’s name and logo in promotional materials for the concurrent enrollment program.
• Opportunities to serve on the Board of Directors and the Accreditation Commission as elected or appointed officers or serving on workgroup committees.
• Vote in elections for NACEP officers and institutional representatives on the Board and Accreditation Commission; and matters related to by-laws, standards, etc. through business meetings and online.

Programs that do not adhere to the requirements or standards will receive a non-compliant status. NACEP provides opportunities for students, faculty, staff, secondary partners, and members of the public to inform the Commission regarding systematic concerns with concurrent enrollment programs that are accredited or undergoing initial accreditation review. To file a complaint with NACEP, refer to this information and form.