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Procedures

The process for Institutional Accreditation is alternatively represented in the process workflows here

• If a institution has not previously undergone accreditation by APHEA, an application must first be submitted indicating that the institution has completed the Curriculum Validation process.
• The institution is notified by APHEA Secretariat as to whether or not it has passed the Curriculum Validation phase.
• If so, the institution begins to conduct an analytical Self-Evaluation. Completion of this phase takes time, approximately 4-6 months but may be extended if necessary.
• The  APHEA  Secretariat,  in  correspondence  with  the  institution,  sets  a  deadline  for  the submission of the final Self-Evaluation Report and tentatively schedules the site visit.
• The institution submits the Self-Evaluation Report to the APHEA Secretariat.
• APHEA Secretariat notifies the institution regarding the composition of the review team and inquires about conflicts of interest.
• APHEA Secretariat sends each review team member the Self-Evaluation Report of the applicant institution and background materials in preparation for the site visit.
• The institution develops a tentative site visit agenda and consults with APHEA Secretariat a month prior to the site visit.
• The review team conducts visit and determines the validity of the Self-Evaluation Report. The chair  of  the  review  team  reports  major  findings  to  the  institution  officials  during  the  final briefing session.
• APHEA Secretariat along with the chair of the review team prepares the first draft of the site visit report and distributes to team members for completion/ amendments.
• Final draft of report is submitted to the institution and the director of institution is invited to prepare a written response in 14 days addressing any inaccuracies and factual omissions in the report.
• Corrections from the institution, if any, are discussed with the chair of the review team, and incorporated into the final version of the report when appropriate before it is forwarded to the Board of Accreditation.
• The  Board  of  Accreditation  reviews  the  report  at  its  next  meeting  and  formulates  a recommendation regarding accreditation of the institution.
• The Board of Accreditation forwards this recommendation to the Board of Directors who will make a final decision.
• APHEA Secretariat notifies the director and officials of the institution of decision.
• APHEA Secretariat invites the director of the institution to evaluate the process.
• If  a  institution  is  accredited,  the  final  decision is  posted  on  the  APHEA  website along with the executive summary of the final report.  The institution may post the final report in its entirety on its website if it chooses to do so along with the APHEA logo.
• If  a  institution  is  currently  accredited,  approximately  two  years  before  the  six  year accreditation term expires, APHEA Secretariat notifies that the institution will require a further review to re-affirm the accreditation status.

Final Decision
The APHEA Board of Accreditation can recommend to the Board of Directors as follows based on the evidence in the site visit report:

• Accreditation – An institution demonstrates minimum compliance with all applicable accreditation criteria. The accredited status is valid for 6 years. In specific cases, there may be requirements for follow-up measures such as interim reports etc. When an institution is accredited, the results are published on the APHEA website.
• Denial of accreditation – An institution does not meet the criteria for accreditation. The applicant may reapply after a period of 2 years.
• Provisional/conditional accreditation – This could either be granted when an already-accredited institution fails to continue to achieve its stated mission and objectives, or fails to meet the requirements for its reaccreditation review or interim report requirements or to an institution undergoing the process for the first time which presents shortcomings that could potentially be rectified within a reasonable period of time. This status is conferred for a specific length of time not to exceed two years. If the institution comes into compliance with the accreditation criteria within the allotted time frame, the term of accreditation will be extended for another 4 years. If the institution does not come into compliance within the given time period, the Board will decide whether to allot more time, modify the conditions or deny accreditation. If accreditation is denied, the institution can reapply after 2 years.
• Extension of term – The Board may decide to extend accreditation based on the results of an interim report indicating that an institution has made significant progress toward compliance of accreditation criteria.
• Revocation of accreditation – An institution does not meet the criteria for continued accreditation (based on institution’s report of any substantial changes to APHEA) or refuses to have the institution re-evaluated at the appropriate time.
• Deferral – The Board may require further information in order to be able to make the appropriate decision on accreditation. A specific time limit will be defined and the institution will maintain applicant status in the interim period.

The Board of Accreditation reserves the right to modify the report based on its discussions. The final decision to be made by the Board of Directors based on the recommendation received from the Board of Accreditation is conveyed to the institution within 30 days of the decision of the Board of Accreditation.