FAQs: ACEN and Accreditation

The governing body of the program must first have required approval from all state agencies and provide evidence of institutional accreditation from an ACEN-recognized agency; see ACEN Policy #3 Eligibility for Accreditation. The ACEN Standards and Criteria are located on the ACEN website. Programs must be able to demonstrate through the candidacy, self-study, and the peer review process its ability to meet the standards of educational quality specific to nursing education requirements set in the Standards and Criteria.

ACEN accreditation is voluntary and ensures that the nursing program meets standards of educational quality specific to nursing education. A nursing program must apply for ACEN accreditation and complete the application and peer review process in order to become accredited. The state regulatory agency for nursing process is usually not voluntary but required for a program to operate in the state, depending on state laws and/or regulations. A nursing program’s status with the state regulatory agency for nursing can affect licensure and a graduate’s ability to take the licensure examination. Please contact the state regulatory agency for nursing for information on a program’s status with the agency (e.g., Board of Nursing). Please see Search Programs for a list of the programs currently accredited with the ACEN or those with a Candidate Status.

Specialized accreditation and institutional accreditation are different. It is possible that a school/institution is accredited by an institutional accrediting agency and that the nursing program does not have “specialized” or “programmatic” accreditation. The ACEN requires accredited programs to indicate accreditation status clearly to the public when it is an ACEN-accredited program and when it is an ACEN candidate program. The accreditation status is usually noted in publications such as the college catalog, website, and nursing brochures. See Search Programs on the ACEN website for more information on accredited and candidate programs.

It can and often does impact students when they graduate from a non-accredited program in several ways:

• The graduate may not qualify for employment  if the employer requires nurses to have graduated from an accredited program. For example, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and many     other public and private employers require nurses to have graduated from an accredited program.
• The graduate may not be able to join the U.S. Armed Forces as a nurse.
• The student may not qualify for  federal financial aid or other forms of financial aid (e.g., scholarships from foundations, HRSA).
• The student may not be able to transfer nursing credits to another nursing program.
• The graduate may not qualify for admission to further their nursing education (e.g., RN-BSN programs; graduate programs)
• The graduate may not be able to be licensed as a nurse in some states, either initially or by reciprocity/endorsement.

In short, ACEN accreditation signifies quality in nursing education by fostering program excellence though the peer review process, which benefits students, faculty, and the community.

Student benefits:

• Provides useful information for students’ career and education decision making.

• Enables student eligibility for funding support from federal and state agencies, and foundations.

• Facilitates transfer of credits.

• Fulfills admission requirements for some graduate level nursing programs.

• Fulfills authorization to test and licensure requirements in some states as well as certification examinations at the graduate level.

• Fulfills employment requirements for some employers (e.g., U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and branches of the U.S. Armed Forces).

Faculty and Community Benefits:

• Fosters ongoing, self-examination, re-evaluation, and focus on the future for continuous improvement.

• Heightens faculty members’ and administrators’ awareness and responsiveness to program effectiveness.

• Assists employers seeking graduates who are competent practitioners.

• Aids in student recruitment.

Currently, specialized accreditation for pre-licensure nursing programs is voluntary in some states; however, many states mandate that a nursing program be accredited. Most states where specialized accreditation for nursing programs is required mandate that the accrediting agency is recognized by the ED. ACEN is recognized by the ED and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA),and is the only ED and CHEA-recognized accrediting agency that accredits all types of nursing programs – practical, diploma, associate, baccalaureate, master’s including post master’s certificate, and clinical doctorate including DNP specialist certificate nursing programs.

The ACEN’s recognition with CHEA also includes accreditation for international programs. The ACEN is the only U.S.-based nursing accrediting agency that has CHEA recognition.

Specialized accreditation is mandatory for nursing programs preparing students for an advanced practice role (e.g., nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist) in order for graduates to take the licensing/certification examination in the advance practice role. The agencies that offer the various licensing/certification examinations in the advance practice roles mandate that the accrediting agency is recognized by the United States Department of Education (ED).

Participating in the ACEN accreditation process gives a program the opportunity to validate that it is committed to providing a quality nursing program and – through the review of the program by peers – the extent to which the program meets expected standards of educational quality specific to nursing education. ACEN accreditation requires that a nursing program continually assesses and make improvements in the educational quality of the nursing program based on data. This is done by evaluating specific Standards and Criteria, which include administrative capacity and resources, faculty, students, curriculum, and outcomes.

Accreditation is a non-governmental, external peer-review process that promotes institutions and academic programs embracing quality assurance and quality improvement to become stronger and better institutions and programs by setting standards of educational quality specific to nursing education. There are two different types of accreditation used for institutional and academic programs; (1) Institutional and (2) Specialized or Programmatic.

Specialized or programmatic accreditation normally applies to the evaluation of programs, departments, or schools which usually are a part of a total collegiate or other postsecondary institution. The unit accredited may be as large as a college or school within a university or as small as a curriculum within a discipline. Most specialized accrediting agencies review units within a postsecondary institution which is accredited by one of the institutional accrediting commissions. However, certain specialized accrediting agencies accredit professional schools and other specialized or vocational or other postsecondary institutions which are free-standing in their operations. Thus, a “specialized” or “programmatic” accrediting agency may also function in the capacity of an “institutional” accrediting agency. In addition, a number of specialized accrediting agencies accredit educational programs within non-educational settings, such as hospitals (U.S. Department of Education [ED]).

ACEN is a specialized professional accreditor for practical, diploma, associate, baccalaureate, master’s including post master’s certificate, and clinical doctorate including DNP specialist certificate nursing programs. ACEN also functions in the capacity of being an “institutional” accrediting agency and as such the nursing program offered by the “institution” can be eligible for Title IV funds.

The ACEN supports the interests of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public by the functions of accreditation. Accreditation is a self-regulatory process by which non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality. Accreditation also assists in the further improvement of the institutions or programs related to resource invested, processes followed, and results achieved. The monitoring of certificate, diploma, and degree offerings is tied closely to state examination and licensing rules and to the oversight of preparation for work in the profession. You can also access the ACEN mission, purpose, and goals at https://www.acenursing.org/about/.