ACEN Policies

To be eligible for initial or continuing accreditation, the governing organization and nursing program must demonstrate that they meet or continue to meet all the eligibility and continuing eligibility requirements of the ACEN.

Governing Organization/Institution Seeking Initial Accreditation Eligibility Requirements

1. The governing organization/institution is legally authorized to provide a postsecondary education program in the state or country in which the governing organization/institution and nursing program is physically located.
2. The governing organization/institution is legally authorized to grant the credential (degree, diploma, or certificate) for the nursing program seeking accreditation.
3. The governing organization/institution is accredited or approved to pursue accreditation by a governing organization/institutional accrediting agency recognized by the ACEN; however, this does not apply to programs outside the U.S. or its territories.
4. For governing organizations/institutions included in “The ACEN Will Accredit A Nursing Program When…” section below that do not hold governing organization/institutional accreditation by a governing organization/institutional accrediting agency recognized by the ACEN:
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   a.  The governing organization/institution must be approved to pursue accreditation by a governing organization/institutional accrediting agency recognized by the ACEN.
   b.  The governing organization/institution must be accredited with a governing organization/institutional accrediting agency recognized by the ACEN before the ACEN Board of Commissioners makes its initial accreditation decision for the nursing program(s) seeking initial accreditation with the ACEN.
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5. For governing organizations/institutions included in point 2 of “The ACEN Will Accredit A Nursing Program When…”section below that do not hold or are ineligible to hold governing organization/institutional accreditation by a governing organization/institutional accrediting agency recognized by the ACEN, the governing organization/institution must be approved by a supervisory state education department, public school system, or district before the ACEN Board of Commissioners makes its initial accreditation decision for the nursing program(s) seeking initial accreditation with the ACEN.
6. The program’s nurse administrator is responsible for immediately informing the ACEN Chief Executive Officer or designee in writing of any change of status with any agency that accredits and/or approves the governing organization/institution. The notification must occur before the ACEN Board of Commissioners makes its initial accreditation decision.

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Governing Organization/Institution Seeking Continuing Accreditation

1. The governing organization/institution must continuously hold legal authorization to provide a postsecondary education program in the state or country in which the governing organization/institution and nursing program are physically located.
2.  The governing organization/institution must continuously hold legal authorization to grant the credential (degree, diploma, or certificate) for the nursing program seeking accreditation.
3. For governing organizations/institutions included in the section below, the governing organization/institution must continuously hold an accredited status with an ACEN-recognized governing organization/institutional accrediting agency; however, this does not apply to programs outside the U.S. or its territories.
4. For governing organizations/institutions included in point 2 of the section below, the governing organization/institution must continuously hold approval by a supervisory state education department, public school system, or district.
5. The program’s nurse administrator is responsible for immediately informing the ACEN Chief Executive Officer or designee in writing of any change of status with any agency that accredits and/or approves the governing organization/institution. The notification must occur before the ACEN Board of Commissioners makes its continuing accreditation decision.

The ACEN Will Accredit a Nursing Program When…

1.  It is administered by a college, university, or technical/vocational governing organization/institution that is part of the system of higher education, grants a diploma, certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master’s degree, post-master’s certificate, clinical doctorate degree in nursing, or DNP specialist certificate, and the college, university, or technical/vocational governing organization/institution holds governing organization/institutional accreditation through an ACEN-recognized governing organization/institutional accrediting agency.
2.  It is administered by a vocational, technical, or career school, public school system, or district, grants a postsecondary certificate, and the vocational, technical, or career school, public school system, or district holds governing organization/institutional accreditation through an ACEN-recognized governing organization/institutional accrediting agency or the governing organization is supervised by a state education department, public school system, or district.
3. It is administered by a hospital, grants a diploma, certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master’s degree, post-master’s certificate, clinical doctorate in nursing degree, or DNP specialist certificate, and the hospital holds governing organization/institutional accreditation through an ACEN-recognized governing organization/institutional accrediting agency. Programs outside the U.S. or its territories must be administered by a college, university, or a technical or vocational governing organization/institution that is a part of a system of higher education as well as grant a diploma, certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master’s degree, post-master’ s certificate, clinical doctorate degree in nursing, or DNP specialist certificate.
4. It is administered by an independent college, university, or a technical or vocational governing organization/institution, grants a diploma, certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master’s degree, post-master’s certificate, clinical doctorate in nursing degree, or DNP specialist certificate, and the college, university, or technical or vocational governing organization/institution holds governing organization/institutional accreditation through an ACEN-recognized governing organization/institutional accrediting agency.

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Programs outside the U.S. or its territories must be administered by a college, university, or technical or vocational governing organization/institution that is a part of a system of higher education and grant a diploma, certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master’s degree, post-master’s certificate, clinical doctorate degree in nursing, or DNP specialist certificate. The institution must be approved/accredited by the national agency/agencies overseeing higher education in the respective country.

If the nursing program is administered by a vocational, technical, or career school or public school system or district and grants a postsecondary certificate, the governing organization/institution and nursing program may use ACEN accreditation to establish eligibility to participate in Title IV programs of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. If the governing organization’s/institution’s accrediting agency is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to establish Title IV eligibility, the ACEN may not be used to establish Title IV eligibility.

If the nursing program is administered by a hospital and grants a diploma, certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master’s degree, post-master’s certificate, clinical doctorate in nursing, or DNP specialist certificate, the governing organization/institution and nursing program may use ACEN accreditation to establish eligibility to participate in Title IV programs of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended. If the governing organization’s/institution’s accrediting agency is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to establish Title IV eligibility, the ACEN may not be used to establish Title IV eligibility. Title IV does not apply to programs outside the U.S. or its territories.

Nursing Program Initial Accreditation Requirements

1. The nursingprogram must be approved withoutqualification, except new programs that may have a provisional status related to having no graduates, by the state or countryagency(ies) that has/have legal authority for education programs in nursing.This is not applicable to those programs in nursing over which a state orcountry regulatory agency that has legal authority for education programs innursing has no jurisdiction (e.g., selected master’s degree programs orprograms admitting previously licensed registered nurses).
2.  The program’s nurse administrator is responsible for immediately informing the ACEN ChiefExecutive Officer or designee in writing of anychange of status with any state or country agency that has legal authority foreducation programs in nursing. The notification must occur before the ACENBoard of Commissioners makes its initial accreditation decision.

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 Nursing Program Continuing Accreditation Requirements

1. The nursing program must be approvedwith or without qualification by the state or country agency(ies) that has/havelegal authority for education programs in nursing. This is not applicable tothose programs in nursing over which a state or country regulatory agency thathas legal authority for education programs in nursinghas no jurisdiction (e.g., selectedmaster’s degree programsor programs admitting previously licensed registerednurses).
2. The program’s nurse administrator is responsible for immediately informing the ACEN ChiefExecutive Officer or designee in writing of any change of status with any state orcountry agency that has legal authority for education programs in nursing. Thenotification must occur before the ACEN Board of Commissioners makes itscontinuing accreditation decision.

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Recommendations for Governing Organizations, Institutions, and Nursing Programs Seeking Initial Accreditation

1.  For nursing programs without previous graduates, the program should seek approval to pursue ACEN accreditation and host the initial accreditation site visit within a timeframe that would facilitate that all students are graduates of an accredited program.
2. For nursing programs with previous graduates, the program should seek approval to pursue ACEN accreditation and host the initialaccreditation site visit as soon as possible to facilitate students graduatingfrom an accredited program.

Recommendationsfor Governing Organizations, Institutions, and Nursing Programs Seeking Initialor Continuing Accreditation

1. If agoverning organization offers the same certificate or degree nursing programwith more than one option, that nursing program (and all its options) must be reviewed in its entirety forinitial or continuing accreditation by the ACEN. All nursing program optionsthat lead to the same degree or certificate within a governingorganization/institution must be accredited by the ACEN for any one of theoptions to be accredited. The nursing programmay not selectindividual options withinthe same certificate or degree to be reviewedfor accreditation.
   
   EXAMPLE 1:  The accreditation of a master’s degree program thatincludes several options, such as Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), AdultGerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Nurse Education, and NurseLeader, must be inclusive of all options. The nursing program may not selectonly the FNP and AGACNP options to be reviewed for accreditation.  
   
   Rationale: Students graduate from a master’s degreeprogram, not the program option; therefore, the accreditation applies to theentire nursing program.  
   
   EXAMPLE 2:  The accreditation of an associate degree program that includes two options, such as prelicensure and LPN-to-RN, must be inclusive of all options. The nursing program may not select only the prelicensure option to be reviewed for accreditation.
   
   Rationale: Students graduate from an associatedegree program, not the program option; therefore, the accreditation applies tothe entire nursing program.
2. If agoverning organization/program offers a graduate-level certificate(s) composedof only the specialty courses for an option(s), the ACEN will automaticallyinclude the graduate-level certificate program option(s) in its review of thegraduate-level degree program in the accreditation process.
   
   EXAMPLE 3:  A governing organization offers a seeks accreditation of amaster’s program that includes several options, such as Family NursePractitioner (FNP), Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, NurseEducator, and Nurse Leader, and the governing organization/program offers acertificate(s) composed of only the specialty courses from an option(s) such as FNP then the ACEN will automatically include the certificate program option(s)in its review of the degree program in the accreditation process.
   
   Rationale: The options that compose thecertificate(s) are a subset of the degree program, and the accreditationapplies to the entire nursing program, including the certificate(s).
3. The ACEN supports models whereby one nursing program is “nested” within another nursing program, which facilitates graduates being able to progress seamlessly from one level of licensure to another level of licensure, such as practical nursing to registered nursing. A “nested” practical nursing program is an educational program leading to a specific level of licensure and must have its own program-specific end-of-program student learning outcomes. Graduates from a practical nursing program embedded within an ACEN-accredited registered nursing program are not graduates of an ACEN-accredited practical nursing program unless the practical nursing program holds ACEN accreditation specifically for the practical nursing program.
4. If a governing organization offers the same certificate or degree nursing program at more than one location within the same nursing education unit, then that nursing program (and all locations) must be reviewed in its entirety for initial or continuing accreditation by the ACEN. The nursing program may not select individual locations within the same certificate or degree nursing program to be included in the ACEN accreditation.
5. In accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR §602.28 and consistent with ACEN policy:
   
   a. The ACEN may not grant initial accreditation or continuing accreditation to agoverning organization/institution or a nursing program offered by a governingorganization/institution if the ACEN knows or has reasonable cause to know that governing organization/institutionor a nursing program is the subject of:
   
   i. A pending or final action brought by astate agency to suspend, revoke, withdraw, or terminate a governingorganization’s/institution’ s legal authority to provide postsecondaryeducation in the state.
   ii. A decision by a recognized agency to deny accreditation or pre-accreditation.
   iii. A pending or final action brought by a recognized accrediting agency to suspend, revoke, withdraw, or terminate a governing organization’s/institution’s accreditation or pre-accreditation.
   iv. A probation or an equivalent status imposed by a recognized agency.
   
   b. The ACEN may grant initial accreditation or continuing accreditation to a governing organization/institution or nursing program only if ACEN provides to theSecretary of the U.S. Department of Education within 30 calendar days of itsaction a thorough and reasonable explanation consistent with the Standards andCriteria why the action of the other body does not preclude the granting ofinitial accreditation or continuing accreditation by the ACEN.
   
   c. If the ACEN learns that a governing organization/institution or nursing program it accredits is the subject of an adverse action by another recognized accrediting agency or has been placed on probation or an equivalent status by another recognized agency, the ACEN must promptly review its accreditation of the governing organization/institution or nursing program to determine if it should also take adverse action or place the governing organization/institution or nursing program on conditions or warning.
   
   i. See Policy #14 Reporting Substantive Changes and Policy and #18 Accreditation Status of the Governing Organization for details regarding a negative or adverse action by an appropriate governing organization/institutional accrediting agency.