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ACEND Updates

News and Updates

2023 Annual Report and 2024 Annual Fee Released

During the week of September 11, program directors received two separate emails from ACEND regarding Fall accreditation maintenance activities:

  • September 12: 2023 Annual Report release email
  • September 14: 2024 Annual Fee release email

Throughout the fall, periodic reminder emails will be sent regarding the Annual Report and Annual Fee. Program directors can expect separate reminders for the annual report and annual fee during the following periods:

  • Week of October 16
  • Week of November 13
  • Week of December 4

Please note that only programs who have an outstanding Annual Report or Annual Fee will receive a reminder email. Once ACEND has received your Annual Report or Annual Fee, you will not receive any further correspondences about these items unless there is a concern regarding your submission.

As a reminder, here are the due dates for these Fall accreditation maintenance activities:

  • Annual Report: Due Friday, November 17
  • Annual Fee: Due Monday, December 11

If you have any questions about the Annual Report or the Annual Fee please email:

Notification of Compliance Audit

In September 2021, ACEND released the revised 2022 Accreditation Standards and the reformatted Future Education Model Graduate Program Standards. All existing accredited programs were expected to come into compliance by June 1, 2022, with the exception of specific knowledge and/or competencies as noted in the standards. After December 31, 2023, programs must have the new knowledge and/or competencies fully implemented within the curriculum.

To demonstrate compliance with the revised Standards, all programs are required to submit a compliance worksheet no later than January 19, 2024. A $200 late fee will be assessed for information submitted after the due date. The compliance worksheet must be submitted via email. No cover letter or narrative needs to be included. The worksheets can be found on the ACEND:

Identify the appropriate worksheet by program type in the heading of the template. Coordinated Programs, Dietetic Internships, Foreign Dietitian Education Programs, Didactic Programs in Dietetics and FEM Graduate Programs must demonstrate compliance on the clinical knowledge and/or skills. Dietetic Technician Programs must demonstrate compliance with Domain 5-Leadership and Career Management Skills.

The submitted compliance worksheet will be reviewed by ACEND staff for completeness. The appropriateness of the activities and assessment methods will be completed by ACEND review teams during the program's next scheduled accreditation site visit. Once the program's worksheet is reviewed, ACEND staff will email the program to confirm acceptance or to request additional information no later than April 1, 2024.

Please contact your accreditation manager if you have any questions.

Enrollment Data Guidance for Annual Report

With the impending January 1, 2024 graduate degree requirement, ACEND has modified its guidance around maximum enrollment to ensure enrollment reporting within the Annual Report is accurate. This may impact Dietetic Internships that recently added a Master's degree, as well as other programs that don't follow a traditional semester cycle. To ensure accurate and consistent reporting in this year's Annual Report, please review the summary of the procedure below and use it as a guide when completing enrollment fields in your annual report:

Program Length: 1-12 Months

Number of Cohorts included in maximum enrollment: 1

Which maximum enrollment fields should have a number?

  • Master's Track: 1st Year Graduate
  • If Non-degree Track: Verification Statement Only

Program Length: 13-24 Months

Number of Cohorts included in maximum enrollment: 2

Which maximum enrollment fields should have a number?

  • 1st Year Graduate
  • 2nd Year Graduate
  • If Non-degree Track: Verification Statement Only

Program Length: 25-36 Months

Number of Cohorts included in maximum enrollment: 3

Which maximum enrollment fields should have a number?

  • 1st Year Graduate
  • 2nd Year Graduate
  • 3rd Year Graduate
  • If Non-degree Track: Verification Statement Only

For example, when reviewing the Maximum Enrollment page of the annual report, a program that is 18 months in length with two cohorts overlapping should see a number of students in the 1st Year Graduate field and the 2nd Year Graduate field.

When programs complete the Enrollment Statistics page of the Annual Report, the currently enrolled students should be reflected in the relevant cohort. For example, any students in months 1-12 should be reported as 1st Year Graduate under the relevant gender and race/ethnicity, and any students in months 13-18 should be reported as 2nd Year Graduate under the relevant gender and race/ethnicity.

Please contact your ACEND manager if you are unsure whether your program's current maximum enrollment is reported correctly with ACEND.

Call for Comments on Doctoral Standards

The ACEND Board has released the proposed draft for the Advanced Nutrition and Dietetics Practice Standards for Doctoral Education Programs for public comment and encourages all interested parties to provide input.

October International Admissions Webinar

ACEND will be sponsoring a free webinar on October 24 from 11 a.m. -12:30 p.m. (Central time), called Overcoming Challenges with International Student Admissions into ACEND-Accredited Programs: A Recipe for Success.

This webinar is intended to describe the admission process for international applicants, including government and university requirements for international students and discuss challenges program directors face with international applicants. Many thanks to our presenters for this webinar: Dr. Nadine Mikati, PhD, RDN, Associate Professor and Assistant Director of the MS in Nutrition from Nova Southeastern University, Deborah Pabon Crespo, MS, DSO, ARO, Senior International Study Advisor from Nova Southeastern University and Karolina Snita, MS, recent graduate from Nova Southeastern University.

This webinar is intended for educators, preceptors, administrators, students, and/or interns and is currently pending CPE approval for 1.5 hours (Level 2) and will be recorded. View additional information and to register for this event.

New Accreditation Support Manager: Miranda Reynolds

Miranda Reynolds, RD, CD recently joined ACEND as the Accreditation Support Manager. Miranda has five years of experience as a dietitian, spending most her career in public health working for the Utah WIC Program helping local families receive care during the pandemic and leading efforts to help families gain access to essential nutrition for Utah babies during the recent and ongoing formula shortage.

She most recently worked for University of Utah Health as an outpatient clinical dietitian and enjoyed helping patients with lifestyle change. Miranda is from Idaho Falls, ID and attended Idaho State University where she received a Bachelor of Science in dietetics and completed her Dietetic Internship in 2017.

She enjoys a simple life of walking/jogging, watching shows, and playing board games. Miranda is overjoyed to be working with ACEND and hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective that will help universities and internship programs prepare future generations of dietitians.

Reminders and Deadlines

August 2023

Annual Overview of Accreditation Activities and Communications

As many ACEND programs start new cohorts in the fall, we would like to remind programs about accreditation maintenance activities and ACEND communications that take place every year:

Accreditation Maintenance Activities

  • Annual Report: The report is released in early September and due mid-November. In 2023, the due date is Friday, November 17.
  • Annual Accreditation Fee: The annual fee is released early September and due mid-December. In 2023, the due date is Monday, December 11.
  • Interim Report or Progress Report: The report is released as needed. The due dates, if applicable, can be found on the ACEND Portal.
  • Substantive Changes: The substantive changes are released as needed. The decision calendar for ACEND board decision-making timelines is available.
  • ACEND Policies Changes: Policy changes are announced on the ACEND UPdate newsletter.

Communications

  • ACEND UPdate Newsletter: The newsletter is distributed the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
  • ACEND Townhall: A virtual townhall is held each quarter.

The week of September 11, 2023, program directors will be receiving separate notifications about the ACEND Annual Fee and the ACEND annual report. The ACEND Annual Report will be released and due earlier this year than in previous years to ease program director workload at the end of the semester.

ACEND Fee Schedule Updated

The ACEND fee schedule for June 1, 2024, through May 31, 2027, has been updated to clarify the annual fee structure for programs in partnerships or consortiums.

July 2023

Distance Education Substantive Change Template and Guidance Information

As previously shared by ACEND, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education (DE) rescinded the established definition of distance education (>50% of didactic coursework; >50% of enrolled students taking distance coursework) because it conflicted with federal regulations (34 CFR 668.8(m)).

The decision stemmed from the DE's concern that when institutions struggle financially, one of the strategies to bolster revenue is to increase their offerings of distance education programming, often poorly designed, leaving students with more debt and minimal gains. Therefore, this new policy is an attempt to protect students and the public. The new definition requires programs that offer any portion of a program in whole or in part through distance education—even as little as part of a curriculum in an otherwise in-person program—to be evaluated and approved to offer distance education by ACEND.

The COVID-19 flexibilities end on October 7, 2023. After October 7, 2023, all ACEND programs planning to offer instruction using distance education, including DI programs, are required to submit a substantive change to ACEND. While the COVID flexibilities remain in place, ACEND prepared a streamlined template with a simple checklist and minimal narrative and supporting documentation to submit prior to October 7. ACEND has also developed a guidance document to assist programs in determining if a substantive change is required for their program.

After the October 7, 2023 deadline, ACEND will continue to require programs to submit the substantive change by following the Distance Education Substantive Change Guidelines. If a program is offering less than 50% via distance education and would like to increase to 50% or more in the future, the program will be required to submit another substantive change to ACEND for approval following the Distance Education Substantive Change Guidelines.

Please note:

  • You are able to continue with any planned distance instruction for Fall 2023. By spring 2024 you must have obtained ACEND's approval before providing any education via distance.
  • This letter supersedes any messages provided by ACEND and by ACEND managers on what qualifies as distance education.
  • Submitting the substantive change does not necessarily mean your program is approved to be a fully distance education program. Your program will not be listed under "Distance Education" in ACEND's directory unless you indicate that your entire program (100%) is offered via distance. This review is to ensure that regular and substantive interaction between the students/interns and the instructor is occurring in all distance education components of the program.

Update to ACEND Payment System

At the end of June, ACEND's payment system was updated and now includes Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments to facilitate programs paying ACEND invoices directly from a checking or savings account. Previously, ACH payments could only be taking over the phone with accounting staff. Now programs can use ACEND's QuickPay system to enter banking information and submit payment without the previous extra steps. We hope this feature will facilitate annual fee, site visit fee and other invoice payments throughout the year.

June 2023

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration Ends: Impact on ACEND Programs

Over three years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and this spring the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration came to an end. The US Department of Education (DE) has set the date of April 10, 2023 as the ending of the national emergency. The DE COVID waivers and flexibilities extend 180 days after the national emergency declaration is rescinded which falls on October 7, 2023.

After October 7, 2023, all waivers and flexibilities allowed by the DE will be rescinded; therefore, the temporary changes that were approved by the ACEND Board to assist programs and students/interns during the COVID public health emergency will no longer be permissible and must be rescinded. The temporary flexibilities that will no longer be in effect after October 7, 2023, are:

  • Distance Education Flexibilities: After October 7, 2023, all ACEND programs planning to offer instruction using distance education, even as little as part of a course or planned instruction, must submit a substantive change to ACEND. Note programs do not need to submit any documentation at this time. ACEND appreciates the time it takes for programs to submit substantive changes and is developing a template for programs wishing to add or continue the use of distance education to ease the submission process for this change. In the next month, we will send a message update when supplemental documents are made available or when you need to take action.
  • Required Element 1.5-Program Director Qualifications: During the pandemic, the ACEND Board approved substantive changes for program directors who did not meet the qualifications required by ACEND; the Board did not take action to place these programs on a reduced term. This flexibility will also no longer be in effect after October 7, 2023. Programs not meeting RE 1.5 will be placed on the next ACEND Board meeting agenda for discussion and action.
  • Supervised Practice/Experiential Learning Hours:
    • For NDTR programs, the reduction in the required number of supervised practice hours from 450 hours to 375 hours will no longer be permissible.
    • The number of supervised practice hours in professional, real-life, settings will return to the usual minimum of 700 hours for RDN programs and 350 hours for NDTR programs.
    • The majority of professional work setting hours spent in the major rotations, as identified by the program, must now be completed onsite.

ACEND decisions that will continue to be in effect regardless of the COVID pandemic and are ACEND expectations include:

  • ACEND's holistic review of its accredited programs, taking into account several variables including program size, the proportion of students with English as a second language, emergencies and disasters, and other pertinent factors.
  • The program assisting students and interns in identifying their supervised practice/experiential learning placements.
  • The program director's ability to serve as the preceptor for the learning activities and assess student or intern competence.
  • The use of telehealth in the practicum portions of programs. If the student and preceptor are located in the same facility during the telehealth session, this is considered part of the professional, real-life, on-site setting.
  • For major rotations, the majority of the supervised practice/experiential learning hours must be in-person, in professional, real-life, settings. Note that major rotations, besides the acute-care clinical rotation, are specified by the program and often based on the length or weight of the rotation.

ACEND is committed to working with you to facilitate the transition to this "new normal" and we will continue to communicate our expectations as well as any changes or needed adjustments.

Clinical Skills Student Evaluation Checklists and Suggested Resources

Over the last several months ACEND has been collaborating with educators and practitioners from all over the country to develop a comprehensive resource to aid programs with the implementation of the new clinical skills competencies under the 2022 Accreditation Standards.

The Clinical Skills Student Evaluation Checklists and Suggested Resources are a result of this collaborative effort. This free resource provides checklists for various waived point-of-care testing procedures, checklists for swallow screen and tube placement, and additional resources and references for use with pharmacotherapy, swallow screen, enteral tubes and more.

Program directors may implement these resources into their curriculum; however, it is not a requirement for programs to utilize.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all who contributed their time, efforts and expertise on this project:

  • Cheryl Bacon, ACEND Board Chair 2021-2022
  • Barbara Hopkins, ACEND Board Chair 2020-2021
  • Stephanie Petrosky, Nova Southeastern University
  • Jody Vogelzang, ACEND Fellow 2022-2023

ACEND Program Director Guidance for Accepting International Students

Accepting international students has many benefits for ACEND-accredited programs, including enhancing learning of various cultures, increasing enrollment and adding to the diversity of your campus. ACEND has added guidance for program directors looking to learn more about how to facilitate enrollment of international students into your ACEND-accredited program.

ACEND Adjusts its Fees for International Programs Based on Countries' Economic Status

To support our international programs, ACEND is pleased to announce that in 2023, the ACEND Board adopted a tiered fee structure that takes into consideration the economic status of a country. For this purpose, ACEND will begin using World Bank data (gross national income per capita) and country classifications:

The ACEND Board has adopted the same tiers as the World Bank:

  • Tier A: High-Income Countries
  • Tier B: Upper Middle-Income Countries
  • Tier C: Lower Middle-Income Countries
  • Tier D: Low-Income Countries

Fees for international programs for Tiers B, C and D have been revised and set at a level intended to defray the actual cost to provide ACEND accreditation services and assist in the support and continuous improvement of ACEND's work. In determining what fees will apply to an institution or organization applying for a service(s), ACEND will refer to the latest data published by the World Bank. The World Bank typically updates the data annually in June/July. You may access the ACEND Fee Schedule for international programs.

Stay on Track with Key Dates on the ACEND Portal

As part of the accreditation maintenance activities, it is important for programs to meet ongoing due dates. To assist program directors in staying on top of critical deadlines, the ACEND Portal now offers a list of important upcoming dates. We encourage program directors to log into the portal periodically and review the list of important dates to remember.

May 2023

There are no articles for May.

April 2023

ACEND Programs Enrollments and Trends

ACEND makes available program enrollment data aggregated for all its accredited programs on an annual basis. This information is self-reported by all ACEND-accredited programs via the annual report. The results of program enrollments for FY 2022 have been posted. Updated tables include the Program Enrollment Trends 1995-2022 and Diversity Enrollment Trends 1998-2022.

Key Points

  • There were 8.3% fewer enrolled students and interns reported in 2022 compared to 2021. Enrollment in all ACEND-accredited programs was 16,128 in 2022 compared to 17,901 in 2021.
  • Dietetic Technician program (DT), Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), and Coordinated Program (CP) enrollments declined in 2022 compared to 2021 (26%, 13.5%, and 19.65%, respectively).
  • Compared to 2021, enrollment in Dietetic Internship programs (DI) and Future Education Model Graduate Programs (GP) in 2022 was 2.2% and 38.5% higher, respectively.
  • As a result of the 8% decline in total enrollment, enrollment of all races and ethnic groups declined; however, the decline was most pronounced for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (54.7%) and American Indian and Alaska Native (54.1%), and to a smaller extent for Black or African American (13.1%). At only 3.1%, Hispanic/Latino of any race was the group with the lowest reported decline in enrollment in 2022 compared to 2021.

New ACEND Accreditation Manager

Amanda Newell, PhD, RDN, LDN, recently joined ACEND as a Program Accreditation Manager. Currently, Amanda is an Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics Program at Bradley University. She comes to ACEND with 15 years of experience in dietetic education where she has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses. She has also served as a preceptor in clinical and community settings.

As the founding director of the DI program at Bradley, Amanda led the transition to the MS-DI and, most recently, to the GP. She has published and presented her research on dietetic and interprofessional education at the national and international level. Amanda is looking forward to this new role within ACEND and for the opportunity to further contribute to the quality of nutrition and dietetic education and the advancement of the profession. Amanda is joining the ACEND team part-time during the month of April and will be full-time on May 1.

New from CDR: Student Competency Plan Builder

The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) is introducing the CDR new 'Student Competency Plan Builder'. ACEND programs and their students and interns may use the Student Competency Plan Builder (CPB) simulation to develop a plan for professional development according to CDR guidelines which meets CDRN 5.3 for Coordinated Programs (CP) and Dietetic Internship programs (DI); CNDT 5.3 for Dietetic Technician programs (DT); and Future Education Model Graduate Programs (GP) Competency 2.2.

Spheres and Competencies can be selected to create a sample Learning Plan to prepare for the Professional Development Portfolio that will be utilized after successfully completing the Entry Level Examination. A link to the CPB has been added to the ACEND resources page for Program Directors.

Spring 2023 Dietetic Internship Match Data

Each spring, graduates of didactic programs in nutrition and dietetics (DPD) participate in a computerized match process run by D&D Digital for placement in dietetic internship (DI) programs. View the results of the first round of the April 2023 computer match and a comparison with the previous five years.

Key Points

  • These results do not include applicants who matched in the second round or those who were accepted to Future Graduate programs, Coordinated Programs or Individualized Supervised Practice Pathways (ISPPS).
  • There were 43% fewer participants in the Spring 2023 computer match compared to Spring 2022.
  • Of the 3274 dietetic internship openings available to be filled through the match (total positions available minus pre-select positions) only 1382 (42%) were filled through the match with 1892 (58%) positions were still available after the match.
  • As a result of a decline in DPD enrollment and several other factors including increased numbers of DPD graduates applying to Coordinated Programs (CP) and Future Education Model Standards Graduate Programs (GP), the spring match rate has steadily improved. 85% of applicants were matched to a dietetic internship in Spring 2023.

Updated Guidance Information for the 2022 and Future Education Model Accreditation Standards Released

The Guidance Information Document for the 2022 and Future Education Model Accreditation Standards has been updated to provide clarification for several Required Elements. A list of the updates can be found on page 3 of the document.

Access the updated 2022 Guidance Information Document and Future Education Model Guidance Document along with the associated templates.

March 2023

2024 Annual Fee for Program Budgets

As many ACEND-accredited programs start planning future budgets, this is a reminder that the 2024 Annual Accreditation Fee can be found on the Accreditation Fee Schedule, in the Policies and Procedures section of the ACEND website. Refer to the February 2023 ACEND UPdate article for information about recent changes to the annual fees. Annual fee invoices are typically prepared in September and due mid-December. Program directors will receive an email from ACEND when annual fee invoices are ready. There are two ways to access a program's open invoice:

  • Log in into the ACEND Portal and click the "Pay Open Invoices" QuickPay link, under "Actions"
  • Save the QuickPay Link separately and access it at any time without having to log into the ACEND portal. ACEND recommends sending this link to the person who pays program bills for future reference as the QuickPay Link will not change

February 2023

2024 Annual Accreditation Fee Incorporates Substantive Change and Other Fees

During its January 2023 meeting, the ACEND Board approved a new annual fee structure. Previously, the annual fee covered costs associated with ACEND communications and meetings, software use and support, staffing and office expenses and responses to general Program Director questions. Starting January 1, 2024 the annual fee will cover additional costs, specifically those associated with:

  • substantive changes including major program changes and administrative changes, and
  • program director changes, access to ACEND Accreditation Standards Webinar series for new program directors and discount to attend one ACEND Program Director Workshop (in-person or virtual).

After June 1, 2023, ACEND will not charge programs for substantive changes submitted, including program director changes. ACEND will also no longer charge programs paying by credit cards, the 2.5% processing fee. The 2024 annual fee is set at $2,680 and payment is due in December 2023. The updated Fee Schedule may be accessed on the ACEND website.

ACEND Board Discontinues the Future Associate (AP) Demonstration Program

ACEND launched its Future Education Model (FEM) demonstration program pilot in 2017 and since has been collecting data to evaluate and monitor the success of the FEM Standards. Current data suggest the great benefit of competency-based education in preparing Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), indicated by the number of programs that have applied to become a Future Education Model Graduate (GP) demonstration program, the pass rate on the registration exam for these programs, and the many benefits reported by faculty and students. This underlines the value of elevating the education of the RDN to the graduate level. Over the past six years, there have been no applications for the Future Associate (AP) Demonstration Program; therefore, at the January 25-27, 2023 Board meeting, the ACEND Board voted to discontinue the AP demonstration program. ACEND is committed to a thorough and honest evaluation of its FEM Standards and programs. ACEND will continue to accredit Dietetic Technician programs (DT) as the associate nutrition and dietetics degree. Furthermore, ACEND will continue to accept applications for GP programs in rolling applications for the FEM demonstration program.

ACEND Staffing Changes

Congratulations to Elise Cowie for her upcoming retirement from ACEND on April 25, 2023. Elise began as an Education Program Manager in June 2016 and was promoted to Senior Education Manager in September 2022. Elise has been such a wonderful part of the ACEND team, and she will be greatly missed. We hope she enjoys her retirement and spending time with family and friends!
We are also pleased to announce the addition of a new staff member. Doris Taber, MPH, RDN, joined ACEND® as a Program Manager on February 13, 2023. Doris previously worked as an Assistant Director of Dietetics and Dietetic Internship Director at Patton State Hospital. She has experience in program management and quality improvement processes, including the development of preceptor trainings for supervised practice. Doris is looking forward to her new role with ACEND® and continuing to advocate for the dietetics profession.

Updated ACEND® Manager State Assignments

With the addition of new staff to the ACEND team, there has been a redistribution of assignments of the states that ACEND Managers oversee. For a list of updated Accreditation Manager state assignments, view ACEND Staff.

Updates from U.S. Department of Education

Below are several changes from the U.S. Department of Education (DE) that may impact your program:

Additional Location: An additional location is defined as a location geographically apart from the main campus and offers at least 50% of an educational program. An additional location is different from a branch campus. An additional location does not have separate administration, faculty or budgetary independence, all of which are required for a branch campus. The approval of an additional location is similar to that of a branch campus in that a focused site visit is required for each of the first three active additional locations/branch campuses that offer the program. Note that a supervised practice/experiential learning site is NOT considered an additional location.
Change in Reporting on Distance Education: The DE rescinded its Dear Colleague Letter dated June 2017 on distance education because it determined that the definition of distance education in the Dear Colleague Letter (>50% of didactic coursework; >50% of enrolled students taking distance coursework) conflicted with federal regulations for purposes of Title IV Eligibility (34 CFR 668.8(m)). This change means that if your program offers any didactic course in whole or in part through distance education—even as little as part of a course in an otherwise in-person program—it must be evaluated and approved to offer distance education by ACEND. Note that due to the COVID-19 pandemic flexibilities set by the DE, there is no need to submit a substantive change for distance education at this time. This flexibility applies for the duration of the national emergency declaration and 180 days following the date on which the COVID–19 national emergency declaration is rescinded. This national emergency is still in effect. If a program chooses to continue using distance education beyond the 180 days after the COVID-19 national emergency is rescinded, only then would it need to seek approval under ACEND's normal substantive change process. Note programs do not need to submit any documentation at this time.

ACEND appreciates the time it takes for programs to submit substantive changes and is developing a template for programs wishing to add distance education to ease the submission process for this change. We will send a message update when supplemental documents are made available or when you need to take action.

January 2023

ACEND Website Update

In December, the ACEND website was reformatted. We are still working to update and reorganize certain sections of the website, so we continue to appreciate your patience. As a result of reformatting, some of the links to ACEND pages have changed slighted. We encourage all programs to review any links to the ACEND website that are included on your program's website, a handbook or other program materials and update those materials accordingly.

Also, in July 2021, we posted an ACEND Update Article titled "USDE Requirements for Disclosing Licensure Information to Students" that included a link to the Academy's licensure page. This page now requires an Academy member log in to view. Please refer to the public facing CDR website for any licensure information. We have also updated our Guidance Document.

Annual Overview of Accreditation Activities and Communications

With the new year starting, we'd like to remind programs about accreditation activities and ACEND communications that take place every year:

Accreditation Activities

  • Annual Report—annually, due mid-November (moved earlier in 2023)
  • Annual Accreditation Fee—annually, due mid-December
  • Interim Report or Progress Report—as needed, find due dates, if applicable on the ACEND portal
  • Substantive Changes—as needed, see decision calendar for ACEND board decision-making timelines
  • ACEND Policies Changes—keep up-to-date with ACEND announcements in the ACEND UPdate Newsletter

Communications

Foundation Scholarships Available for US and International Students

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation will open its scholarship application for the 2023-2024 academic year within its electronic application portal on February 15, 2023, with a deadline of 10 a.m. (Central time) on April 18, 2023. Students at all levels of study are eligible to apply, including undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, individuals enrolled in dietetic internships and international students enrolled in qualifying educational programs. Most Foundation scholarships do not require US citizenship or permanent residence.

Students and dietetic interns wishing to plan ahead for their scholarship applications are encouraged to review the Foundation's 2023 Scholarship Application Checklist and FAQ. Prospective applicants may also be interested in viewing a 2021 Foundation lecture titled Foundation Scholarships: Setting Yourself Up for Success. All of these free resources and other helpful information regarding the Foundation's Scholarship program are available.

Questions? Email the Foundation.

Updated: How to Lock Verification Statements to Allow Printing

We have updated the instructions on how to lock a PDF document when digitally signing a Verification Statement so that the document becomes read-only and no further changes are allowed while still allowing printing of the Verification Statement. Previous instructions were on how to change the PDF document permission settings, including restrictions on printing. We strongly encourage program directors to select "Lock document after signing" when issuing Verification Statements rather than changing the document permission settings as students/interns and other program directors may not be able to print the verification statement.

For more information about verification statements, signature authentication and expiration, and how to lock the document, visit the FAQs on Verification statements found on the ACEND website.

Remind Your Students about Graduate Degree Requirement

All students who plan to complete an ACEND-accredited Coordinated Program or Dietetic Internship without a minimum of a graduate degree in 2023 must meet all eligibility requirements (including degree conferral) and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12 p.m. midnight (Central time), December 31, 2023.

ACEND recommends that programs remind students of this requirement, as well as describe to them the risk of not completing the program on time. Reasons for not completing the program on time may include needing additional time for remediation or unexpected leaves of absence due to illness or family emergencies. As many programs plan to graduate one last bachelor's level cohort this year, we hope you take the time to connect with your students and confirm they understand that they will need to complete a master's degree to sit for the RDN exam if they do not complete program requirements by December 31, 2023.

For more information about the graduate degree eligibility requirement, visit CDR's website.

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