Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for accreditation, a sponsoring institution must first ensure its program is accepted into Candidacy Status, which is the prerequisite for participating in the formal CAHSM peer-review process. The institution must demonstrate that it has developed a program that is both professionally and financially sustainable and meets the curriculum quality measured by CAHSM Standards.

Before beginning the application for accreditation, sponsoring institutions must verify that their programs meet the following minimum eligibility criteria. Failure to implement these conditions will result in a denial of the application.

Note: Programs applying for initial accreditation do not have to wait until they have a graduating class to apply.

Timing: Program assesses readiness for application for accreditation.

The following requirements must be met or completed during this stage in development and when submitting an application:

Program Director: Have hired a permanent Program Director that meets the minimum qualifications in the Standards for a Program Director. The position must be full-time throughout the application process.

 Applicant Program Campus: The program and campus applying for accreditation must award the degree, which includes online applicant campuses.

Other campus institutional requirements: The sponsoring institution is accredited by a regional or national accrediting institutional organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to offer a degree or the sponsoring institution accredited by a national accreditor with USDE provisions their Grant for Accreditation for establishing eligibility to participate in Title IV programs. Upon request, the applying campus program must provide the OPEID number assigned by the U.S. Department of Education as proof of participation for financial aid. State Board of Education approvals must also be completed..

Next Steps: Once these requirements are met, programs may initiate the path to Candidacy by submitting the required application documents and paying the application fee.