INSTITUTIONS
seeking accreditation

Seeking Accreditation with the Council on Occupational Education

Candidacy is the first step toward accreditation. To be eligible for consideration for candidacy, an institution must meet the following criteria:
Offer postsecondary instruction exclusively in career and technical education at all campuses.
Offer credentials no higher than an applied associate degree.
Have produced a graduate from the longest program offered by the institution where the graduate has completed 100 percent of the program’s required hours at the institution (no hours transferred in and no CLEP hours awarded).
Utilize a campus-based instructional delivery system with at least 25 percent of the institution’s total FTE being derived from enrollment in traditional (bricks and mortar) programs.
Maintain at least 50% FTE enrollment at each campus in non-VESL programs.*
Have an institutional enrollment of no fewer than 10 FTE (at the time of applying for candidacy).
Be legally authorized to operate within the jurisdiction in which it is located for a minimum of one year.
Have been in possession of current and applicable licensure/authorization for a minimum of one year.
Have been in continuous operation and providing instruction at the main campus and under the same ownership for a minimum of one year.
Have the on-site administrator or other full-time employee at the main campus attend a Candidate Academy within 12 months prior to submitting an application for candidate status.
Demonstrate that it has the administrative capabilities (including, but not limited to, financial) to support the educational programs offered.
Demonstrate that it meets the financial stability requirements for the most recently completed fiscal year as stated in Standard 7 – Financial Resources.
Be in compliance with all Federal requirements applicable to accreditation.
Agree to comply with all requirements of the Council.
Institutions in candidate or accredited status as of November 4, 2016 whose VESL enrollment is in excess of 50% of the institution’s total enrollment as of that date are exempt from this limitation.
Institutions with non-main campus sites (branches, extensions, extended classrooms, instructional service centers) must meet additional eligibility requirements applicable to those locations.
Institutions seeking candidate status with the Commission that have non-main campus sites must:
Demonstrate that the ownership of all non-main campus sites (branches, extensions, instructional service centers, etc.) is identical to that of the main campus.
Demonstrate that the local administrators of all non-main campus sites report to the chief administrative officer of the main campus.
Demonstrate that duplicate records on personnel, financial matters, student attendance, and educational progress for all non-main campus sites are kept at the main campus. (NOTE: Institutions capable of maintaining and accessing records electronically may keep all records previously mentioned at the main campus.)
Demonstrate that names of non-main campus sites are identical to that of the main campus. (Names of non-main campus sites may be expanded, with Commission approval, to identify different locations or specific programs.)
Demonstrate that all non-main campus sites, and their respective program offerings, are described in the main campus catalog.
Institutions seeking accreditation with COE must not have been denied accreditation, dropped from accreditation, or on adverse status by a regional or national agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
1.
Submit a Letter of Intent to Seek Candidacy with COE

The letter should simply state the name, address and chief administrative officer of the institution and include a request for Candidate Academy information. The email address of the chief administrative officer should be included in the letter of intent. The letter of intent may be emailed to the Council at monique.campbell@council.org.

2.
Attend a Candidate Academy: Seeking Candidacy
Candidate Academies are offered twice a year: in April and October. Registration information is generally available on the Council’s web site approximately 10 weeks prior to the scheduled Academy. An eligible institutional representative must attend a Candidate Academy before an application for candidacy will be accepted. The Academy must be attended no more than 12 months before submission of the candidate application. (Specific information about persons who are considered to be “eligible representatives” is provided in the Handbook of Accreditation.) The Candidate Academy focuses on eligibility requirements and activities leading to candidacy.
3.
Submit a Candidate Application
A check for the application fee and the first year’s dues (based on FTE) must be submitted with the application. Candidate applications must be submitted in EDvera. All institutions must also submit a $3000 deposit to be applied toward the cost of the candidate site visit. (Annual membership dues can be found on this site under Accreditation/Annual Membership Dues.)
4.
Host a Candidate Team Visit
A two-person team will visit the institution for a period of two days. During this visit, the two Council representatives will meet with school faculty and staff to review the institution’s candidate eligibility requirements. The team will submit a report of its findings to the Commission.
5.
Candidacy Approved by the COE Commission
The Council’s Commission or Executive Committee may grant an institution candidate or accredited status during regularly scheduled meetings, which typically take place in March, June, September, and December. Application deadlines for inclusion on each meeting agenda are listed in the FAQ section under the Accreditation tab of this website. Applications must be submitted through EDvera by the published deadline. Please note that these deadlines are firm and must be strictly observed. An institution may remain in candidate status for up to three years; however, it must host its accreditation visit within 24 months of the date candidacy is granted by the Commission.
6.
Attend the required Self-Study and Annual Report workshops
Once an institution is granted candidate status by the Commission, a full-time representative of the school must attend the required Self-Study and Annual Report workshops. The school representative must attend these workshops within twelve months of the date candidacy was awarded. These required workshops are held during the Spring Accreditation Institute and Annual Meeting.
7.
Prepare the Self-Study Report
The self-study is the written narrative documenting the institution’s self-assessment of compliance and involves the total staff. The self-study documents an evaluation of the educational programs offered, along with the related functions of the institution and overall mission. The self-study is created to address conditions of accreditation and the TEN (10) Standards of the Commission. Findings of the institution’s staff and advisory groups while conducting the self-study are recorded in a document referred to as the Self- Study Report (SSR). This report will indicate to what extent the institution is in compliance with the Conditions and Standards of the Commission. Schools should plan on 12 to 18 months prior to their accreditation visit to prepare the report.
8.
Host a Preliminary Visit
Approximately 90 days prior to the scheduled accreditation visit, a COE Fellow will conduct a preliminary visit to the institution. The purpose of this visit is to assess the institution’s readiness and to assist in finalizing the agenda for the accreditation visit. During the preliminary visit, the COE Fellow will also review and provide feedback on the draft of the institution’s Self-Study, offering guidance to ensure alignment with the Council’s expectations.
9.
Host the Accreditation Team Visit
A team composed of at least two representatives will visit the institution for approximately three to four days. The size of the visiting team and the duration of the visit will depend on the number of programs offered and the number of campuses operated by the institution.
During the visit, the team will conduct a comprehensive review of all programs and services to verify compliance with the Council’s accreditation requirements. Following the visit, the team leader will submit a report to the Council detailing the team’s findings. A copy of the team report will also be provided to the institution.
An institution may not host its accreditation visit within the first six months after attending the required Self-Study and Annual Report workshops. However, the visit must occur within 24 months from the date candidacy is awarded by the Commission.
Prior to hosting the accreditation visit, institutions must submit a non-refundable initial accreditation fee of $1,050. In addition, non-public institutions are required to submit a $5,000 deposit to help offset the travel expenses incurred by the visiting team.
10.
Prepare and Submit an Institutional Response to the Team Report
The institution must prepare and submit a formal response to the accreditation team report within 30 days of receiving the report. This response should clearly address any Findings of Non-Compliance cited by the visiting team and detail the corrective actions the institution has taken to resolve each issue.
11.
Host the Accreditation Team Visit
The Commission reviews the institution’s Self-Study Report, accreditation visit team report, and institutional response. Based on this review, the Commission votes to grant accreditation to the institution. At the same time, the Commission determines the institution’s re-affirmation cycle: the amount of time before the institution must once again attend the mandatory workshops, prepare a Self-Study Report, and host an accreditation team. The maximum period of the re-affirmation of accreditation cycle is six years.
While the Commission determines an institution’s re-affirmation cycle at the time that initial accreditation is awarded, accreditation is renewed annually through submission of an Annual Report—an electronic document available to institutions through the Council’s accreditation management system. The deadline for the Annual Report is in December each year.
It typically takes one year to eighteen months to achieve accreditation after candidate status is granted, depending on dates of Candidate Academy attendance.
Federal (Title IV) student financial aid may be available to institutions that are accredited by COE. However, accreditation alone does not entitle a school to offer this aid. Institutions interested in offering federal financial aid to their students must apply for a Program Participation Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.