AABST
Accreditation Procedures

Procedure for AABST Membership and Accreditation:

  1. School official submits an initial "Membership Application and Institutional Profile" along with the $200 annual fee.
     
  2. If school is approved for membership, a Membership certificate is issued which is valid for one year.
     
  3. Member schools will maintain that status so long as their annual reports are current and their annual fees are paid.
     
  4. Schools which are not approved for membership will receive a full refund of their annual $200 fee.
     
  5. Member schools only may apply as a "Candidate for Accreditation" by submitting the official form and paying a $200 fee; AABST will issue a "Candidate for Accreditation" certificate which will be valid for six months.
     
  6. Upon request and submitting a membership application and annual fee, AABST will send the Accreditation Guidelines to the candidate school, along with a checklist of specific expectations and preparations from the Accrediting Commission team from AABST.
     
  7. The school will send us a copy of their current curriculum with class outcomes and a list of materials and books used for each class within the 6-month period while this Candidate certificate is valid.
     
  8. A school may hold Candidate status for no more than two years; if the school remains a Candidate for Accreditation for more than two years without submitting the proper documentation, the school must wait one year before re-applying for Candidate status.
     
  9. The school must pay the minimum fee of $500 and maximum fee of $1,000 accreditation fee when it submits all the course material for evaluation. AABST will give a quote upon request once an outline of the schools current curriculum, materials and course outcomes are submitted. This fee is charged as an expense to evaluate the curriculum, depending on the materials used in teaching and is a one time fee for the purposes of the expense and time taken to evaluate a schools curriculum. 
     
  10. Shortly after submission of the materials requested the team will report to the Accrediting Commission of AABST; this commission will evaluate the school's compliance with the accrediting criteria and vote to grant or deny accreditation.
     
  11. If the vote is favorable, an "Accredited Member" certificate will be issued to the school, but only after all expenses of the on-site visit have been paid in full.
     
  12. If the vote is not favorable, deficiencies will be noted, the school will be advised, and an extension of time of up to one year will be granted for the school to come into full compliance, with a one-time additional fee of $200 being charged.
     
  13. Accreditation is valid for seven years, if annual fees are paid and annual reports are submitted; "Accredited Member" certificates will be issued each year, with the expiration date prominently noted.
     
  14. Annual Accreditation Fees (for schools to maintain that status) are:
  • Schools with up to 100 students
  • Schools with 101 to 300 students
  • Schools with 301 to 500
  • Schools with 501 to 1,000 students
  • Schools with more than 1,000 students
$300
$400
$500
$750
$1,000