Identify the accrediting agency that would be most appropriate for your small Bible college. You may choose to apply to a regional accrediting agency that covers your part of the United States or a smaller agency affiliated with your denomination or region. One of the advantages of accreditation is that federal and state financial aid is generally reserved for colleges that have received accreditation from a recognized agency. Research the accrediting agency to ensure that it meets the standards you require. It may be easier to meet the accreditation standards of an agency that only accredits Bible colleges, and an ideological approval may meet the requirements of your student body, but the exclusion from sources of federal and state financial aid is a serious disadvantage to consider.
Contact the accreditation agency and request materials necessary to begin the accreditation process. You may wish to request materials from both regional and national accrediting agencies, as the requirements can be quite different. Review the standards for accreditation, and determine which one best represents your school in terms of current resources and anticipated growth. Note that accreditation agencies are less concerned with the size of your college and its religious orientation than they are with the academic consistency and coherence of your programs, the resources available to students to reliably complete these programs as advertised, and the fiscal stability of the institution. In many ways, a small Bible college with a clearly defined core mission and a flexible budget has advantages over larger institutions.
Conduct the required self-study. This is a comprehensive evaluation of the school, including campus facilities and faculty resources or qualifications. Larger issues such as the mission statement of the college and the degree of congruency it has with its resources and programs of study are examined, as well as the overall operating budget of the college. All programs and resources must be linked to the core mission of the college, which should be clearly defined at the outset. Once again, a small Bible college should find it easier to create a mission statement based on denominational orientation and concern than a liberal arts college.
Submit the report of the self-study to the accrediting agency and request a campus visit. The accrediting agency will review the report, and send a team of observers usually selected from academics at peer institutions to evaluate the application for accreditation.
Review the evaluation written by the accreditation team and correct any deficiencies. These may include classroom renovations, hiring additional faculty, or the creation of a more realistic operating budget. Accreditation is usually granted on a temporary basis at first, with frequent follow-up visits from the evaluation team.