ACEND Policies and Procedures

The purpose of this Policy & Procedure Manual is to outline an effective and efficient accreditation process, including fair and uniform application of the accreditation standards. This manual was developed for use by program directors, administrators, the ACEND^® board, program reviewers and staff.

The ACEND encourages responsible educational change and innovation to improve quality, while protecting students and the public. The U.S. Department of Education requires ACEND to monitor and approve substantive changes that have the potential to affect the ability of an ACEND-accredited program to meet the Accreditation Standards. The Substantive Change Guidelines were developed to explain the requirements for submitting a substantive program change. The Substantive Program Change Cover page should be included with the substantive program change request documentation and the Teach-out Plan template is for use when submitting a program closure plan.

In this Section

• ACEND Policy and Procedures Manual
• Substantive Change Guidelines - All Program Types
• Compliance with Required Element 1.4 – Graduate Degree Completion Template
• Teach out Plan Template
• Program Director Change Template
• Admission Hold Template

Resources

• Distance Education: Substantive Change Determination Guide
• Guidance Document: Options for DI to Ensure Compliance with Standard 1, Required Element 1.4 (i.e., Graduate Degree)