Becoming Accredited

Accreditation recognizes that a program of education meets the Association's published standards.

Graduates of an accredited program have satisfied the educational requirement for certification.

A program applies against the IAPST Standards for Accreditation. Read them before applying. They state what is required, what an application contains, and how the Commission decides.

Applications are received once a year. The window opens on 1 December and closes on 31 January. The Commission reviews applications in February, conducts site visits in the spring where one is ordered, and determines every application by 30 June. Accreditation takes effect on 1 July.

A first term runs three years. A second runs five. Subsequent terms run ten, with a mid-cycle report at the halfway point.

A program may deliver education alone, education and part of the supervised clinical component, or education and all of it. All three are accreditable. A program that does not deliver all of the supervision says so plainly in its materials, and states what a student must arrange separately.

A program with a question about the Standards, about its own eligibility, or about what an application requires may write to the Commission before applying.

Fees

Downloads

See the Accredited Programs register.