Accreditation

Accreditation Criteria

On January 31, 2020, the NAAB Board of Directors approved the 2020 Conditions for Accreditation and Procedures for Accreditation, for publication on February 10, 2020. All programs are required to utilize the NAAB 2020 Conditions and Procedures for Accreditation for all accreditation purposes, except in the case of Interim Progress Reports (IPR). Programs whose previous term of accreditation requires IPR(s) will continue to submit IPRs to address identified deficiencies, consistent with the changes NAAB made to the Interim Progress Reporting requirements in July 2020, outlined below. 

2020 Conditions for Accreditation (March 2026 Revised Edition)

Link here

2020 Procedures for Accreditation (Jan 2026 Revised Edition)

Link here

Interpretation Guide

The Interpretation Guide serves as a resource and provides clarification and examples as programs plan and engage in the NAAB accreditation process.

Link here

At its February 2026 meeting, the Board of Directors voted to adopt revisions to DEI-related standards in the 2020 Conditions for Accreditation, as outlined in the November 20, 2025, Call for Public Comment. The revised Conditions are effective as of March 19, 2026.

Context for the Revisions
The revisions adopted by the Board clarify the intent of prior language to ensure that all programs can demonstrate compliance with all standards. These revisions do not represent a change in NAAB’s mission or core values. Rather, they reflect the Board’s responsibility to ensure that NAAB’s accreditation standards remain clear, consistent, relevant and applicable across all jurisdictions.
 
Since NAAB first incorporated DEI language into the Conditions, there have been significant policy developments at the state and federal levels affecting higher education and accreditation. Federal regulators have raised questions about whether certain accreditation requirements may conflict with federal law, and an increasing number of states have enacted legislation restricting DEI-related activities.
 
Recognizing the challenges presented by complex and, at times, conflicting expectations of state policy, institutional priorities and professional accreditation requirements, NAAB has observed the response of accreditors across higher education—both institutional and programmatic—as well as the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), as they have undertaken similar reviews and revisions to language within their criteria.
 
Importantly, over the past year, NAAB has engaged programs through listening sessions, multiple calls for comment, and ongoing dialogue to gain a deeper understanding of their experience and insight into the issues they currently face. The Board carefully considered the input received from programs throughout this process, and in particular, as it deliberated on the revisions to the Conditions.
 
NAAB’s Role and Responsibility
Accreditation derives its value from the clarity and consistency of standards, and holding programs accountable to shared baseline expectations as reflected in the Conditions.
 
Within that framework, programs remain free to pursue initiatives that reflect their individual missions and priorities, consistent with applicable laws and institutional policies.
Implementation Plan
All programs should update their materials accordingly to reflect the revised 2020 Conditions for Accreditation.
 
As certain Conditions were under stay during periodic reviews, programs that fall into the following categories will need to complete an additional section for their 2026 Annual Report (NAAB will provide additional guidance) that is due on December 15, 2026, to demonstrate compliance:
  • Programs with Conditions under stay as part of Plan to Correct, Accreditation Review, or a Special Report
  • Programs that had a 2025 Spring APR/2025 Fall visit/2026 Spring (April) Board review
  • Programs that had a 2025 Fall APR/ 2026 Spring Visit/2026 Fall (October) Board review
  • Programs that had 2026 Spring APR/2026 Fall Visit/2027 Spring (April) Board review
Programs with 2026 Fall APR/2027 Spring Visit/2027 Fall (October) Board Review will incorporate the revised Conditions, with site visitors addressing program compliance as part of their review process.

At its meeting on June 9, 2020, in response to the exceptional circumstances created by the pandemic, the Board of Directors made several decisions affecting upcoming accreditation visits:

  • All accreditation visits for 2020–2023 will be conducted virtually.
  • Every program with a visit scheduled between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2027, will have its visit postponed by one year.
  • Programs with visits scheduled between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2027, may request to have the visit remain in its currently scheduled year.
  • Requests from programs with visits originally scheduled in 2021 were due July 6, 2020.
  • Requests from programs with visits originally scheduled for 2022–2027 are due to NAAB by March 1 of the year prior to the original year of the visit.
  • Candidate programs whose visits are postponed will be afforded one (1) additional year from the date listed on the last decision letter to achieve initial accreditation. 

2015 Procedures for Accreditation
2014 Conditions for Accreditation

2012 Procedures for Accreditation
2009 Conditions for Accreditation

In an effort to support NAAB-accredited programs in their transition to the 2020 Conditions and Procedures, the NAAB Board of Directors, by their decision on July 17, 2020, streamlined the interim reporting process required by the 2012 and 2015 Procedures for Accreditation. The reporting requirements changed the Two-Year Interim Progress Report (IPR) in favor of a Three-Year IPR, effective September 1, 2020. Effective January 1, 2021, the Five-Year IPR submissions will remain on the current schedule, but programs that satisfied all deficiencies in their Two-Year or Three-Year IPR will not be required to submit a Five-Year IPR. Programs that are required to submit a Five-Year IPR will need to demonstrate that deficiencies have been corrected and how the corrections align with the 2020 Conditions and Procedures.

This reporting process is modeled after the 2020 Conditions and Procedures ‘Plan to Correct’ and will facilitate a smoother transition to the new set of Conditions and Procedures. Questions or comments? Contact our Accreditation Team!