Publications & Policies
- This page provides access to each of the Commission published manuals. The Accreditation Reference Handbook provides readers with the Eligibility Requirements, the Accreditation Standards, and all policies of the ACCJC. Quick access to individual policies is provided by using the Table of Contents in the Accreditation Reference Handbook. For current and past issues of the Accreditation newsletter, ACCJC NEWS, please see the Newsletter menu button.
This Handbook contains the Eligibility Requirements for initial accreditation and reaffirmation of accreditation, the ACCJC Accreditation Standards, and all Commission policies.
Accreditation Reference Handbook
Accreditation Standards are annotated for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).
Accreditation Standards Annotated for CQI and SLOs
This Manual includes the steps for establishing eligibility, candidacy, and initial accreditation by ACCJC as well as the Eligibility Requirements and Accreditation Standards.
Eligibility, Candidacy, and Initial Accreditation Manual
This Guide explains the Accreditation Standards that describe the duties and responsibilities of governing board members for meeting Accreditation Standards and for leading a results-oriented college. The Guide includes electronic links to resource documents available for download. It is recommended for all CEOs and governing board members.
Guide to Accreditation for Governing Boards
This Guide is a tool in the ACCJC’s series of resources to be used by institutions preparing their Institutional Self Evaluation Report of Educational Quality and Institutional Effectiveness (formerly Self Study Report) and other reports and by teams conducting comprehensive visits and other visits.
Guide to Evaluating Distance Education and Correspondence Education
This Guide contains questions that might be asked about institutional quality as each Accreditation Standard is considered. It also provides suggestions for what might constitute evidence that an institution meets the Standards. It is intended for use by institutions as they write their Institutional Self Evaluation Report and by teams when evaluating institutions.
Guide to Evaluating Institutions
The following resources are taken from ACCJC presentations and workshops and cover Institutional Financial Review and Resources. You will want to download all documents:
Institutional Financial Review and Resources
This Manual contains suggestions for how an institution should organize for self evaluation as well as forms that must be submitted as part of the Institutional Self Evaluation Report. It is intended for use by institutions as they prepare for self evaluation and the Institutional Self Evaluation Report.
Manual for Institutional Self Evaluation
The Rubric for Evaluating Institutional Effectiveness that was developed by the Commission for use by colleges as they do self-assessment, by teams as they examine college adherence to the Accreditation Standards, and by the Commission as it evaluates institutions.
Rubric for Evaluating Institutional Effectiveness
This Manual includes information on changes considered substantive, the process used for obtaining ACCJC approval of substantive changes, the required format and content of a substantive change proposal, and the Substantive Change Policy.
Substantive Change Manual
This Manual is for use by individuals serving on teams. It outlines the responsibilities and activities of team service and contains forms used in reporting.
Team Evaluator Manual
The USDE regulations updates are charts prepared periodically to alert team members of recent regulatory changes or interpretations. The charts provide citations and language of regulations, along with team practices that will align with current USDE expectations.