International Candidacy Processes and Procedures

Nursing programs located outside the U.S. considering accreditation by the ACEN should contact the ACEN to begin the process. The international candidacy process has three steps:

Step 1: Establishing Eligibility

All nursing education programs accredited by the ACEN must meet the following eligibility requirements as listed below:

• Placement within a governing organization that is accredited by an approved accrediting agency or holds unconditional approval by the appropriate regulatory agency that has legal authority for education programs within the country.
• Placement within a governing organization that is authorized to grant the credential awarded at the completion of the program.

Nursing education programs located outside the United States and its Territories must meet the following additional eligibility requirements.

• Program faculty and students must speak and understand English. The program must produce all documents and written materials required for the accreditation processes in English.
• The region in which the program is located must be safe for travel as identified by the U.S. State Department at the time of the travel for the ACEN peer evaluators and/or staff.
• Program must agree to host a minimum of two onsite visits, including a mandatory onsite Advisory Visit for International Candidacy and the onsite initial accreditation visit. [NOTE: Nursing education units seeking accreditation for a second nursing program have the option of declining the Advisory Visit for International Candidacy as a component of the candidacy process.]
• The program has financial resources adequate to meet all fiscal responsibilities related to the ACEN accreditation processes including International Candidacy Eligibility Application, Candidacy, and two onsite visits.
• The nursing program must establish and provide documentation that it has obtained requisite governmental and regulatory approval to seek ACEN accreditation, if required.

To verify eligibility, the international program must complete and submit the International Candidacy Eligibility Application to determine their eligibility for International Candidacy. The International Candidacy Eligibility Application must be accompanied by an International Candidacy Eligibility Application fee. Once the ACEN has received the application fee, the application will be reviewed. This process takes approximately two business weeks.

ACEN determines a program’s eligibility and suitability for ACEN accreditation by reviewing the International Candidacy Eligibility Application. Possible results of the review include the following:

a. The program is deemed eligible to pursue International Candidacy.

b. The program is asked to submit additional information/clarification.

c. The program is deemed ineligible to pursue International Candidacy and will be withdrawn from the process.

Step 2: Candidacy Presentation and International Candidacy Advisory Visit

International nursing education programs determined to be eligible for International Candidacy will be scheduled for a mandatory onsite International Candidacy Advisory Visit. In preparation for the onsite International Candidacy Advisory Visit, programs will submit an International Candidacy Presentation, which will be provided to reviewers a minimum of six weeks prior to the onsite visit.

The International Candidacy Presentation will address the same selected Criteria as other programs pursuing Candidacy with the ACEN. See the Candidacy Presentation – Written Instructions.

The onsite International Candidacy Advisory Visit will be conducted by one or two ACEN representatives. The purpose of the onsite International Candidacy Advisory Visit is to determine whether a program may proceed with the Candidacy process. Following the onsite International Candidacy Advisory Visit, an International Candidacy Advisory Visit for International Candidacy Report is submitted by the reviewers.

Based on the recommendations of the reviewers in the International Candidacy Advisory Visit Report, the ACEN will take one of the following actions:

1. Approval of International Candidacy: The nursing program (a) demonstrated it is currently compliant with the selected ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed or demonstrated the potential to be compliant with the ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed within the Candidacy timeframe, and (b) demonstrated the potential to achieve ACEN accreditation based upon the ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed. Approval of International Candidacy does not guarantee that the program will achieve initial accreditation.
2. Extension of Time to Achieve Candidacy (Deferral): The nursing program (a) made an inconsistent presentation to demonstrate it is currently compliant with the selected ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed or made an inconsistent presentation to demonstrate the potential to be compliant with the ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed during the Candidacy timeframe, and (b) made an inconsistent presentation to demonstrate the potential to achieve ACEN accreditation based upon the ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed. The program is advised to complete specified actions/implement specific changes or modifications; the program will need to resubmit the Candidacy Presentation within one year of notification (deferral). To proceed, the program must submit an International Candidacy Presentation Addendum within one year of notification describing how the recommended actions/concerns have been addressed. If the Addendum is approved by the ACEN Directors, International Candidacy is approved with the onsite accreditation visit to be scheduled within the Candidacy timeframe as noted above. If the Addendum is not approved, then the program is disapproved, and the ACEN will withdraw the program from the International Candidacy process.
3. Disapproval of International Candidacy: The nursing program (a) did not demonstrate it is currently compliant with the selected ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed or did not demonstrate the potential to be compliant with the ACEN Standards and Criteria the Candidacy timeframe, and (b) did not demonstrate the potential to achieve ACEN accreditation based upon the ACEN Standards and Criteria reviewed. ACEN withdraws the program from the candidacy process. No fees will be refunded if a program is withdrawn.
4. Program Ineligibility: ACEN withdraws the program from the International Candidacy process. No fees will be refunded if a program is withdrawn.

NOTE: If a program’s Candidacy expires prior to scheduling an initial accreditation site visit, then the program must restart the candidacy process to renew its candidate status. The Candidacy process can be restarted at any time after either being disapproved, withdrawn, or when the program’s Candidacy has expired.

Additional information about the International Candidacy Advisory Visit:

The section of the ACEN Accreditation Manual related to the Site Visit applies to all programs located outside the United States and its Territories.

Length of Visit

International Candidacy Advisory Visits for nursing programs located outside the United States and its Territories will be a minimum of five days for a single program. The onsite portion of the visit will be a minimum of three full days. A nursing education unit with more than a single nursing program or multiple locations may require additional days.

Assignment of Site Visit Team

Peer evaluators for international programs will be selected from a pool of peer evaluators. The number of peer evaluators will be determined by the ACEN and will be based on the program type(s), number of additional locations, and on-ground transportation logistics.

NOTE: The International Candidacy Advisory Visit will have one or two ACEN reviewers assigned as noted above.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Team Chair, Team Members, and nursing program as listed in the ACEN Accreditation Manual apply to all nursing programs, including those located outside the United States and its Territories. The following additional responsibilities apply in reference to visit arrangements:

Please note that all international nursing programs must pay all fees associated with the International Candidacy Advisory Visit prior to any visit taking place. If any invoice received from the ACEN is not paid within an acceptable timeframe prior to any visit, the visit will be cancelled. The schedule of fees for international programs is used for the components of the visit.