ACEN Accreditation Manual – Policy 5

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ACEN Accreditation Manual – Section II Policies

POLICY #5 Notification of Commission Decisions

A nursing program seeking ACEN initial or continuing accreditation explicitly agrees that information pertaining to the program shall be made available within 30 calendar days of the accreditation decisions made by the Board of Commissioners. In accordance with the table below, the ACEN will provide written notification to:

  1. The nurse administrator of the nursing program1,5.
  2. The Chief Executive Officer of the governing organization1,5.
  3. U.S. Department of Education Secretary1,2,4,5.
  4. U.S. Department of Education Case Management Teams1,2,5.
  5. State regulatory agencies for nursing1,2,5.
  6. State Departments/Ministries of Education (as applicable)1,2,5.
  7. Council for Higher Education Accreditation1,2,5.
  8. Institutional accrediting agencies recognized by the ACEN for governing organizations1,2,5.
  9. Peer evaluators that reviewed the program1.
  10. Higher Education Publications, Inc.1,2,5.
  11. The public (through posting on the ACEN website)1,2,3,4,5.

Superscripts are identified in the Report Category column below. The reporting of the following information applies to all governing organizations/nursing programs seeking initial or continuing accreditation:

ACEN Dispersal of Accreditation Information
As Necessary
Proposed changes within the ACEN that alter the scope of recognition or compliance with requirements3,4 such as policy, procedures, and the ACEN Standards and Criteria.
Within 10 Business Days
Voluntary withdrawal of a governing organization/nursing program from ACEN accreditation2.   Within 10 business days of receiving voluntary withdrawal letter, it will be posted on ACEN website within 1 business day of sending written notification to governing organization/nursing program.
Within 30 Calendar Days
ACEN Board of Commissioners’ accreditation decision1.   Within 30 calendar days of the decision, it will be posted on the ACEN website within 1 business day of sending written notification to the governing organization/nursing program.
Outcome of appeal process and reason(s) following outcome of appeal5.   Within 30 calendar days of the Appeal Committee decision, it will be posted on the ACEN website within 1 business day of sending written notification to the governing organization/nursing program.
Outcome of arbitration process and reason(s) following outcome of arbitration5.   Within 30 calendar days of the Arbitration Panel award, it will be posted on the ACEN website within 1 business day of sending written notification to the governing organization/nursing program.
Annually in the June Publication of the ACEN Report to Constituents
ACEN Board of Commissioners’ accreditation decision1.
Outcome of appeal process and reason(s) following outcome of appeal5.
Outcome of arbitration process and reason(s) following outcome of arbitration5.
Summary of major accreditation activities3,4.

Available Online
Directory of accredited programs3, 4.
Directory of candidate programs3.
Voluntary withdrawal of a governing organization/nursing program from ACEN accreditation2.

The ACEN will submit to the U.S. Department of Education Secretary information regarding a program’s compliance with federal student aid program requirements if the Secretary requests such information, or if the ACEN believes that the program is failing to meet its Title IV responsibilities, or is involved in fraud and abuse with respect to its Title IV activities. If circumstances permit and to the extent feasible, then prior to submission of information, the program will be provided an opportunity to comment on findings.

Policy #5 History
Revised July 2015
Revised March 2019
Revised July 2020
Edited June 2023

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