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| Dr. NAACLS |
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Dear Dr. NAACLS
Accreditation and approval costs
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I have heard that the accreditation process is significantly more expensive than the approval process. I assume it is because of all the affiliate visits that must be made and travel costs are increasing. Still, can you explain it for me?
Signed,
Uncertain Program Director
Dear Uncertain:
The accreditation process and approval process are very similar in that they both rely on a review of self-study documents produced by programs. However, unlike approval, accreditation also requires a site visit, and there is a cost for site visitor travel expenses.
In accreditation, continuing programs are assigned two site visitors to visit the sponsoring institution. Nearby affiliates are also visited by the site visitors, if at all possible. When affiliates are more than an hour distant, they are visited by professionals in the area of the affiliate. NAACLS staff make every effort to find appropriate, knowledgeable individuals who are nearby.
There is also a difference in cost for the annual fee. The 2001-2002 annual accreditation fee is $1000 while the fee for approval is $900.
Site visit costs vary depending upon travel costs for visitors. The NAACLS staff do their best to keep costs down and, many times, the institutions are able to assist by identifying hotels that have special rates for visitors to the institution, offering on-site transportation, and negotiating meal arrangements. The site visit costs to programs last year ranged from approximately $150 to $2400 with an average somewhere around $1100. Visits to distant affiliates ranged from $0 to $50 with an average of about $25. Affiliate visitors often ask for no reimbursement.
The following charts may help to clarify costs for both accreditation and approval.
Since an actual accreditation review would occur, at most, once every five years, the cost of a site visit and the Site Visit Prep Fee can be averaged out over that time period. The Application Fee is for initial applicants only. Using the average cost of a site visit of $1100, the cost difference between accreditation and approval, on an average annual basis is $420.
Since the majority of programs under review at the last CLSPRC meeting received awards of seven years, their next site visit cost can be averaged over seven years. The average annual difference in cost between accredited and approved programs when accredited programs receive seven years is $329.
Please don't hesitate to contact the office if you have additional questions.
Sincerely,
Dr. NAACLS
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