How to apply for IACS Accreditation
Not sure your center is ready or qualified?
IACS is happy to respond to concerns, suggest solutions, and help you achieve quality standards—even prior to starting the application process. Talk to one of our reviewers and get answers to your questions.
The first step is to request the Application Packet. Each packet includes:
- Application Submission Checklist and Directions
- IACS Application for Accreditation
- Abbreviated Personnel Vita Form
- Current Staff Report Form
- IACS Fee Schedule
- IACS Accreditation Standards
What happens after submitting the application
When we receive your completed application packet, staff checks to make sure that all the required documentation is included. We’ll let you know if additional information is needed. Once the application is found to be in order, the Board of Accreditation review process begins.
Part 1: First Board Review
The completed packet is sent to two members of the IACS Board of Accreditation for a First Board Review. The evaluators fill out a checklist that is based on the Standards. They send their reviews to the Executive Director who determines if your center is ready for the next phase of the accreditation process—an on-site review. If your center is not approved for the next phase, you will be notified why and what is needed to reach that phase.
Part 2: Site Visit
Once your counseling center appears to meet the IACS Standards, then you are notified via email that scheduling an on-site review has been approved. Your information is passed on to the Coordinator of the IACS Field Visitation Program. When the field visitor team has been established, the IACS Executive Director will notify you. You are responsible for contacting the field visitor(s) to set up a mutually agreeable date for the visit.
An on-site review is at least one full day in length. Once the visit takes place, the Field Visitors have one month to submit the report to the Chair of the Accrediting Board, who in turn sends the report to you as the center director and requests a written response within 30 days. Once your written response is received, the Chair will then approve the center for what is called the Final Board Review.
Part 3: Final Board Review
The Final Board Reviewers are two members of the Accrediting Board who have not seen your application materials before, which include the First Board Reviews, the Field Visit Report and the director's written response to the on-site review. The Board Members send their review forms to the Chair of the Board who makes the final decision regarding your center’s accreditation status.
What is required to maintain accreditation
Once accredited, centers are required to submit IACS annual report materials each year and to undergo a re-evaluation, including a site visit, every eight years. The Board of Accreditation can request that a re-evaluation review with a mandatory field visit be conducted prior to the 8-year re-evaluation if they feel it is warranted based on any paperwork submitted during this timeframe.
“The IACS site visit did help reinforce the strengths of the center and what we needed to continue working on in the future - including strategies for gaining higher administrative support.”
—Mark J. Forest, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs - Health and Wellness
Director, Counseling and Psychological Services
The College of New Jersey
