Earning CACREP accreditation is a lengthy, rigorous process requiring you to conduct a comprehensive self-examination of your school's degree program against CACREP standards. The process also requires an on-site visit to your university, a report by the CACREP accreditation team, and your response to the team report. Based upon these steps, the CACREP board decides whether your program should be accredited.
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 535-5990
cacrep.org
The self-study process takes about 18 months. You will be required to conduct a detailed analysis of your existing educational programs, focusing on each program's strengths and weaknesses as compared to CACREP standards. The CACREP standards were developed to ensure that students become knowledgeable, professional counselors with a mastery of the skills they will need to practice effectively. You can download the standards manual from CACREP's website. An accreditation workbook also can be ordered from this site.
For the site visit, CACREP sends a team of two to four members to your university's campus for a three-day visit. The team's chairman and a liaison from your university are required to prepare an agenda that includes various people the team will interview. This list should include administrators, faculty, site supervisors and students. At the end of the visit, you will be given a summary of the team's findings in an exit presentation.
The application fee for CACREP accreditation is $2,500, which is due at the time the self-study is submitted. You will be charged a site visit fee of $2,000 per visitor. The annual maintenance fee for one accredited program is $2,050. Maintenance fees for two existing programs total $2,450, and $2,830 for three or more accredited programs.