Policies for Accreditation of Programs

 

 

Incorporates all changes approved by the Accreditation Council on November 12, 2016
     Article 1 In accordance with Article 2 of the Accreditation Council Bylaws, the Accreditation Council, hereafter called the Council, has prescribed the Policies for Accreditation of Program for the purpose of planning and execution of accreditation.
     Article 2 The Council stipulates this document and the corresponding accreditation criteria to govern all accreditation procedures.
     Article 3 Accreditation is intended to evaluate associate, baccalaureate or beyond degree-granting programs at universities, colleges, technical schools, and junior colleges recognized by the Ministry of Education.
     Article 4 The Council establishes a six-year cycle of scheduled review for each program. The review types are general review, interim review, review of program pending for accreditation action, and review of provisionally accredited program. General review must be conducted for each accredited program at intervals no longer than six years for continuous accreditation, whereas the interim review, review of program pending for accreditation action, and review of provisionally accredited program are follow-up reviews on the improvements made on the shortcomings observed from the last general review.
     Article 5 The Council shall be responsible for enacting the Procedures for Accreditation of Programs, which specify the details of the following major accreditation phases:
  • Registration: Publishing of accreditation policies/procedures and criteria, processing registration, forming accreditation team, etc.
  • Review and on-site visit: Reviewing self-study report, conduct on-site visit, etc.
  • Accreditation Action decision making: Drafting accreditation statement, voting and disseminating accreditation decision, appeal over the accreditation decision, etc.
  • Annual accreditation information submission: Contents of the annual reporting on the continuous improvement actions taken by accredited and action pending programs.
  • Interim review: Review of conditionally accredited program.
  • Review of program pending for accreditation action: Review procedures for program that received Accreditation Action Pending decision in the last review.
  • Review of provisionally accredited program: Review procedures required for provisionally accredited program after the first class of graduates is produced.
  • Name change: Review procedures required for accredited program that undergoes name change or reorganization.
     Article 6 Accreditation may result in one of the following actions:
  • Accredited:
    • Next General Review: The accreditation is effective for six-year cycle.
    • Interim Review (3 years): The accreditation is effective for three years. The accredited program must submit interim review report and undergo on-site visit as basis for consideration of effective period extension.
    • Interim Review (1 year): For program undergoing second cycle and beyond, if its self-study report and the supporting evidences are inadequate but do proven to have achieved the educational objectives and continuous improvement during the on-site visit, it is to be accredited for one year with a new self-study report by July 31 st of and revisit due the following year with a possibility of extending the accreditation period with two years maximum.
    • Provisionally Accredited: This action applies to program that has yet to produce the first class of graduates under a Criteria if all else deemed appropriate after an on-site visit. The program must notify the Council three months before the first class of graduates will be produced. The accreditation action will be issued after review of documents on student outcomes.
  • Pending for Accreditation Action: Program applies for accreditation for the first time and fails to be accredited due to insufficient supporting documents. Such program required subsequent on-site visit within two years. Program would only be given this decision once per accreditation cycle.
  • Not to Accredit: Program with any noncompliance criterion will not be accredited. The Council shall notify only the program of this action without public disclosure. A “not to accredit” program may submit a new request for review a year later.
     Article 7 All personnel of the Council shall strictly abide by the conflict of interest principles and shall assume the obligation of keeping all accreditation documents and their contents confidential. Where necessary, commissions under the Council may stipulate regulations relating to issues of conflicts of interest and confidentiality.
     Article 8 Accreditation fees shall be charged separately as the following three types:
  • Registration Fee: Covers the administration, preliminary review, and related matters.
  • Review and On-site Visit Fee: Covers the execution of the review, including costs for administration, document review, on-site visit, and related matters.
  • Annual Accreditation Maintenance Fee: Covers the maintenance of records, including the annual fee toward the international accord administration, record storage, quality control, and related matters.
     Article 9 Accreditation process in out-of-jurisdiction region shall abide by this document unless adjustment is necessary.
     Article 10 This document and any revision thereto shall be approved by the Council and promulgated for implementation by the Council Chair.