An institution may apply for accreditation at any time after obtaining needed State agency approvals. Following a preliminary review and assessment of readiness by accreditation staff, an institution may begin a self-study process. The institution will not be reviewed for possible accreditation through a site visit until the self-study can document student outcomes consistent with the institution's statement of mission, purpose and objectives. An institution should expect that the accreditation review process will take at least 18 months and the institutional accreditation standards, procedures and applicable policies will differ from the State approval process. A Self-study Guide, including the accreditation standards and documentation needs, and other pertinent materials are provided to the institution.
Technical assistance is provided at the institution's request.
The review coordinator may visit the campus or representatives of the institution may visit the Department during the self-study preparation. The composition of the visiting team is established by the review coordinator well before the visit. The team consists of outside consultants as well as one or more professional accreditation staff from the Department. Team size varies, depending on the scope of the institution, but is usually in the range of four to six persons. Team members include faculty and administrators from comparable institutions in New York and other states.