The Accreditation Experience
Steps
- Application for Accreditation: Candidates submit an application and fee via the AiHub, including supporting documentation for all training sites.
- Accreditation Workshop: Applicants must attend a workshop before the application is accepted. The workshop provides an in-depth understanding of the NAC accreditation process.
- Program Evaluation Report (PER): After the application is accepted, NAC provides a schedule for submitting the PER for the main campus and any additional sites.
- Peer Evaluation Team Visit: A peer evaluation team reviews the PER and conducts an online or onsite visit.
- Team Report: The report is drafted during the visit, and observations are discussed until a consensus is reached on each NAC standard.
- Commission Action: All relevant documents and information are made available to the Commission for deliberation and action.
- Notice of Commission Action: The program is notified in writing within 30 days of the NAC’s action regarding their accreditation status.
- Time Schedule: The entire accreditation review process typically takes 1-6 months.
The Peer Review Experience
The NAC peer review process is program-centered, data-driven, and focused on evaluating real-time student outcomes. The onsite accreditation visit or online visit (depending on the program delivery method) is also intended to be a learning experience for the faculty, administrators, students, and stakeholders. To that end, we provide online education and “best practice” guidance to help your program and team continually improve performance.
Your Program Review Team
The team is comprised of subject matter experts and operationally experienced professionals in workforce, industry, distance education, and management.
The Visit
During the visit, the team will verify the accuracy of the Program Evaluation Report (PER), collect data, discuss preliminary findings, and seek additional information or clarification. They will draft facts about compliance and noncompliance and reach a consensus on ratings related to accreditation standards. The visit concludes with an Exit Briefing that encapsulates the program’s compliance and areas of noncompliance under each accreditation standard.
After Your Program Review
Team Report
The program will receive a team report via AiHub, a collaborative document created during the visit. The report will reflect a unified agreement among team members on the program’s adherence to each standard.
Need Help
If your program has areas for improvement, we are here to work with you to make those improvements as quickly as possible.