The Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET) is a voluntary group of educational organizations affiliated for the purpose of improving continuing education and training. Through its support of an independent Accrediting Commission, the ACCET membership promulgates and sustains the Standards for Accreditation along with policies and procedures that measure and ensure educational standards of quality. ACCET is recognized for this purpose by the U.S. Secretary of Education and, accordingly, is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

The essential purpose of the accreditation process is to provide a professional judgment as to the quality of the educational institution and program(s) offered, and to encourage continual improvement thereof. Accreditation is the process by which the ACCET Accrediting Commission grants public recognition to an educational institution which has voluntarily submitted to an evaluative comparison with established qualifications and standards, both upon initial application and periodically thereafter. ACCET’s function is focused upon educational quality, the continuous assessment and improvement of educational practices, and assistance to member institutions in the improvement of these practices within their programs.

The four major components of this on-going process are: (1) the development and implementation of institutional and program goals and objectives that focus upon a continuing education mission, (2) a comprehensive, analytic self-evaluation review and report by the institution, (3) an on-site professional peer review to evaluate the adequacy and accuracy of the self-evaluation, and (4) an independent review and decision by the Accrediting Commission as an assessment of the institution’s commitment to and compliance with ACCET standards, policies and procedures

U.S. Department of Education Recognized Agency

ACCET has been officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education since 1978. As such, the agency is listed as “a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training provided by institutions of higher education and the programs they accredit.” We have received back-to-back 5-year grants of recognition, the longest period provided to an accrediting agency.