Q: How do I find a school in my area?
A: Go to Find a School and type in your state.

Q: What does it mean when a school says that they have applied for accreditation?
A: Accreditation is a process where the school is comprehensively reviewed to see that they meet ACAOM’s standards of accreditation. This process includes a request for eligibility and a self study. The school also has a comprehensive on-site visit.  ACAOM then gives feedback about how well they are progressing to meeting ACAOM’s Standards and Criteria for Initial Accreditation.  There is NO status of accreditation during the eligibility and candidacy period. There is no guarantee that the school in this process of eligibility and candidacy will be granted accreditation. A program is not accredited until it has met all the requirements of ACAOM and initial accreditation is granted by the ACAOM Commission.

Q: If the institution or school or its program(s) have applied for accreditation, when will I know when they have been accredited?
A. The Commission meets two times a year for review of schools and programs. The accredited school/program list is updated after every Commission meeting. Those meetings are held in February and August. You should check back to the website after those meetings to see if the school/program status has changed.

Q: What are the admission requirements for an accredited ACAOM school?
A: Each school has its own requirements for admission. For admission requirements, including any prerequisites, you should contact the school or institution directly. The contact information for all ACAOM accredited school is on this web site as part of the Accredited school list.

Q: Why do I need to attend an accredited school or institution?
A: Accreditation of an institution or school brings certain advantages. Only schools that are institutionally accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) can have Title IV money, or student loans. If you need student loans for school, then you should make sure that the school you apply to is an accredited institution by a recognized agency. There is also accreditation of programs within a school, which is often a requirement for State licensure exams and/or national credentialing examinations. You should research if your state requires graduation from an accredited school/program for sitting for licensure. Accreditation also assures you that your school/program has gone through a comprehensive review by ACAOM, which is an accrediting agency recognized by the USDE. This notifies you that the school is in compliance with nationally recognized Standards for your profession.

Q: Does ACAOM accredit any on-line programs?
A: ACAOM is currently researching the area of on-line education. At present time, there are no ACAOM accredited distance learning programs.

Q: What happens if the school I am attending loses its accreditation?
A: If a school loses its accreditation, ACAOM makes sure that there is teach out plan for the school and that your education is not disrupted. You will be advised how you can continue your education with another accredited institution/program.

Q: What if I have questions about the curriculum or student policies of the school that I am enrolled in? 
A: You should talk to the school faculty and/or administration to get asnwers to specific questions about that school/program.

Q: How do I file a complaint?
A: ACAOM has a procedure that allows you to file a complaint. It is described in policy 3.9 of the Policies & Procedures Handbook.  Complaints must be filed on the Complaint Form. (Save the form to your computer, and submit it as an email attachment to coordinator@acaom.org, or print the completed for and mail it to the ACAOM office.  It is NOT saved on-line.)