Accreditation is a form of quality assurance that signifies your institution’s education is of a high standard. Receiving accreditation can boost institutional reputation, enrollment rate, student engagement, and more. However, the process can take a few years to finalize.
Read on to discover what the accreditation timeline looks like and how long you have to wait after assessment until accreditation. Knowing the general timeline can help you better prepare for the process and complete it as quickly as possible.
The accreditation process can take 1.5 to 2 years, but the duration depends on various factors. Your higher education institution may take less or more time to receive accreditation depending on:
The accreditation process timeline varies by accreditation body. However, most follow a standard process:
Some agencies require educational institutions to submit a notice of application intent a month before formally applying for accreditation. The notice alerts the agency that your institution intends to pursue accreditation. They can then prepare the timeline and allocate sufficient resources for your application.
A notice of application intent is not an application but rather a simple form detailing information about your institution. Upon receiving your notice, the accreditation agency will contact your appointed contact to offer support resources and information about the next steps in the process. The agency may also require that you first become a member of their organization to apply for accreditation.
Next up is the formal application. The accreditation agency will require that you submit information about your institution and documentation for them to review. They’ll most likely ask you to demonstrate why your institution is worthy of accreditation. You will also have to pay an application fee upon submission.
This initial application allows the agency to determine whether you meet their minimum eligibility requirements. If all goes well, the agency will let you know when you must submit your institution’s self-study, which is the next step.
The self-study is the most time-intensive part of the accreditation process. Most accreditation agencies will indicate a minimum length of time for the self-study. However, it can take longer depending on how much information you need to compile and how easy it is to acquire. It often takes about a year or more to complete a self-study report. Preparing for the self-study in advance can make the process go much faster.
During a self-study, your institution must determine whether it meets the agency’s standards. The process involves an introspective study of the institution’s strengths and weaknesses. You’ll ask faculty and students for feedback on aspects like:
Then, you must compile a report detailing your findings and propose an improvement plan. Any required documentation must also accompany the self-study report.
The second part of the accreditation evaluation process involves a site visit. The timing of the site visit depends on the availability of the site visit team, which is usually made up of peers from the educational community and representatives from the accreditation agency. For this reason, site visits are sometimes called peer reviews. Site visits can take one or multiple days.
During the site visit, the accreditation team will visit your institution’s campus to observe and interview faculty, students, administrators, and other stakeholders. Their goal is to validate the claims in the submitted self-study and ensure your institution meets their accreditation standards.
Once the site visit is complete, the accreditation team will meet to discuss their findings and recommendations and compile a report. Creating the report can take a few weeks or months, depending on the agency’s processes and the peer review team. The team submits the finished report to the accreditation agency, which reviews it for completeness and accuracy.
Sometimes, the agency allows the educational institution to read the report and submit a response. The response can include corrections to potentially incorrect statements or new information with supporting documents. They usually give a time frame of a month or less to submit this response.
The agency’s accreditation commission will meet to review all your institution’s information, including the self-study, documentation, site visit report, and responses. Depending on the commission availability, the process can take a month or two from assessment to accreditation. The agency usually informs the institution about its decision less than a month after it’s made.
If your institution is compliant with the accreditation agency’s standards, you may receive accreditation. Accreditation only lasts for a specific amount of time — usually three or five years — before you must renew it. The agency can also deny your application or defer a decision until you respond to their concerns.
Most accreditation agencies continually monitor the institutions that receive accreditation to ensure they uphold the standards. Your educational institution may need to undergo an evaluation or assurance review, typically including a report demonstrating compliance and a site visit. The agency may also interview students and other stakeholders to evaluate compliance with their standards.
You will usually have to redo the process a year or so before your institution’s accreditation status expires. This process is called reaccreditation and follows a similar timeline to initial accreditation.
Accreditation doesn’t have to be difficult — with Watermark’s Educational Impact Suite (EIS), your institution can easily prepare for and complete the accreditation process. EIS helps you build strong processes so that have all the data you need to demonstrate compliance and progress. It also makes gathering data and turning it into actional insights and reports a breeze.
By implementing Watermark solutions, you can create a culture that prioritizes continuous improvement. Plus, the benefits of our software extend far beyond accreditation. Higher education institutions can use Watermark to improve student engagement, course content, and faculty development.
See how Watermark can help your institution thrive by requesting a demo today!
