To become accredited by ACICS, a college must meet minimum requirements. It must offer educational programs that help students develop skills to enhance their careers. Its programs must have enough graduates to make it possible for ACICS to evaluate the programs' effectiveness. Other minimum requirements and standards for faculty and academic programs are discussed in "Accreditation Criteria Policies, Procedures and Standards," a document published on the ACICS website.
The first step in the ACICS accreditation process is for the college to complete an initial applicant annual institution report that includes information such as overall enrollment. After accepting the application, ACICS conducts an initial resource visit. On-site administrators of the college attend an accreditation workshop and then complete a self-study. After receiving the self-study and other documentation, a team from ACICS visits the college and submits a report to an intermediate review committee. If the evaluation file is complete, the committee makes a recommendation for or against accreditation. After reviewing the information, ACICS make an accreditation decision.
To maintain accreditation, the college must submit financial information to ACICS annually and must periodically reapply. The college must notify ACICS when major changes occur, such as the addition of a new program or the closing of a campus. The college must also notify ACICS about changes of location, name and ownership. For an eight-year accreditation, the college must submit an interim report after the fourth year. Instructions for providing maintenance information to ACICS are in the "Accreditation Criteria Policies, Procedures and Standards," found on the ACICS website.
The following colleges are among those accredited by ACICS: Gwinnett College (gwinnettcollege.com) in Lilburn, GA, offers courses in medical assisting, legal secretarial science and computer applications. Sanford-Brown College (sanfordbrown.edu) in Farmington, CT, offers courses in cardiovascular sonography, business office administration and visual communications. Wright Career College (wrightcareercollege.com) in Overland Park, KS, offers courses in health care administration, medical insurance coding and software administration. The ACICS website has a directory of its accredited colleges. You can search by location, type of degree and category of study.