- Eighteen months prior to the accredited program’s cycle expiration date, GAC sends a Letter of Request for Intent to Renew GAC Accreditation to the accredited program(s).
- Programs planning to renew their GAC accreditation must complete a Letter of Intent for Accreditation Reaffirmation.
- This letter must be sent on the institution’s letterhead, contain the required signatures, and also must follow the GAC Letter of Intent template found on the Apply for Accreditation page of the GAC website.
- Any newly developed degree programs to be considered for accreditation may be included in this process.
- This documentation must be received in the GAC offices at least 15 months prior to the expiration of the reaffirming program’s current accreditation cycle.
- Submit the Letter of Intent for Accreditation Reaffirmation, via email to: [email protected] (it is not required that a paper copy be mailed at this time).
- The submitted Letter of Intent for Accreditation Reaffirmation is reviewed by the GAC and permission is granted for the institution and its programs to move forward in the GAC accreditation renewal process.
- The GAC applicant program seeking reaffirmation of accreditation develops its Self-Assessment Report and submits it to the GAC at least eight months prior to its current accreditation expiration date. The format and submission process for the Self-Assessment Report is as outlined in Section B.3: Step 2 of the Handbook.
- Once the Reaffirmation Self-Assessment Report is received in the GAC offices, the process for reaffirmation of accreditation is the same as with the original accreditation application process outlined in Section B.3 of the Handbook. This process includes:
- Self-Assessment Report review, discussion and decision by the GAC Directors.
- The Onsite Visit Evaluation.
- GAC Accreditation Decision.
- Programs seeking reaffirmation of accreditation may be granted GAC accreditation for a maximum period of five (5) years. Upon grant of reaffirmation, the program's new GAC accreditation cycle would commence on the anniversary date of its original accreditation.
- The reaffirmed GAC accredited program would then move forward with its continuing accreditation responsibilities for the remainder of the accreditation cycle, including the payment of any fees on the anniversary of its original accreditation, the submission of the annual report, and any applicable Progress Reports on Binding Opportunities as described in the Decision Letter.
- Please refer to the program fee schedule posted on the Apply for GAC Accreditation section of the GAC website for specific fees associated with each step of the accreditation process.