Following is the typical process that an organization will go through when applying for accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA):

• Letter of Intent

  Organizations wishing to apply for NCCA accreditation should submit a letter of intent approximately 90 days prior to submitting the application.  Application deadlines occur three times throughout the year:

  • January 31
  • April 30
  • September 30

  Organizations that miss the 90-day deadline for the letter of intent may still submit their letter but should know that if the Commission cannot address all of the applications submitted for a given deadline during their in-person meeting, any organization that missed the 90-day deadline will have their application(s)tabled until the next meeting of the Commission.

  There is no specific format for the letter of intent; it should include the name of the organization, the program(s) for which you are submitting an application, and the deadline by which you intend to submit.  Letters of intent should be directed to:

  B. Denise Roosendaal, CAE
  Executive Director
  ICE
  2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800
  Washington, DC 20036

• Application Fee

  When submitting your accreditation application, please include full payment for the application.  Please see the fee schedule for the most recent application fees.  Application fees are non-refundable and programs that are denied must pay the fee again if they wish to submit a new application.  Therefore, organizations are strongly encouraged to thoroughly review their completed applications prior to submission to ensure that their applications provide up-to-date, accurate information and are completed according to the Standards and guidelines provided in the application form.

• Application Format

  You must submit a single, bookmarked PDF document containing the completed application form, exhibit documentation, and required forms. A separate application file is required for each program that you wish to submit for consideration.

  If you are unable to create a bookmarked pdf, there are companies that can provide these services for you. Or, you can submit a hard copy of your application in a 3-ring binder with the exhibit documentation in tabs A-HH.  NCCA will scan and bookmark your application and appendices for an administrative fee of $250 for every 500 pages (i.e. 1-500 pages are $250, 501-1000 pages are $500, etc).

• Application Review

  Once NCCA has received all applications for a given deadline, they are assigned and sent to the NCCA Commissioners to review.  The Commissioners usually have approximately 2-3 months to review the applications before they meet in person to discuss an accreditation decision; some of the accreditation review process may take place by telephone conference call. Applicants receive their official notification letter approximately 45 days following the meeting at which their application was discussed.  The entire process from the time you submit your application to the time you receive a response from the Commission is approximately 3-4 months.

   

• Accreditation Decisions

  There are three possible accreditation decisions that can be made: accreditation, deferral, or denial.

  • Accreditation
    Applicants who have documented compliance with all of the NCCA Standards receive accreditation of their program(s).  Accreditation is generally granted for a period of 5 years; one exception is for programs offered by an organization with other accredited programs, in which case, the accreditation period will coincide with the previously accredited program.
  • Deferral
    Applicants who have not provided complete documentation of compliance with all of the NCCA Standards may receive a deferral decision.  A deferral is normally granted when the information provided by the applicant suggests that the program may be in compliance, but the documentation is incomplete or lacking in clarity, typically for a limited number of Standards.  Applicants in a deferral status typically have approximately 2 months to prepare their response.  They are required to submit additional information only for those Standards for which the Commissioners could not determine compliance and that were outlined in their official notification letter.  All deferral responses will be reviewed during the next Commission meeting, and applicants will be notified of an accreditation decision approximately 45 days following the meeting.  Simply responding to the deferral decision does not imply that accreditation will be granted; documentation of compliance with the Standards must be provided.
  • Denial
    The Commission will not take any further action on an application that has been denied.  The applicant will receive, at a minimum, a listing of the Standards for which documentation of compliance was not found; generally no additional information is provided, since the Commission is not permitted to provide consultation services.If the applicant wishes to apply for accreditation again, they must submit a new application and appendices following the submission guidelines.  NCCA recommends that applicants who receive a denial seek input from qualified experts in administrative and psychometric aspects of a certification program prior to submitting a new application.  Applicants must also submit a new accreditation application fee. 

Please note: NCCA will not provide accreditation decisions over the phone or via e-mail.  Official notification letters are sent to all applicants via certified USPS mail approximately 4-6 weeks following the date of the meeting.

 

• Annual Reports
  The NCCA requires that each accredited organization/program complete an annual report form each year to enable the NCCA to monitor continuing compliance with NCCA Standards.  The annual report form is required to maintain accreditation for several reasons, including:
  
  
  • To document compliance with NCCA Standard 21.
  • To keep organizations with NCCA accredited programs continually aware of the NCCA Standards.
  • To provide organizations the opportunity to receive feedback on any changes that may affect their accreditation status, and receive suggested actions to take to maintain compliance with NCCA Standards.
  • In limited situations, the annual report may provide data leading to revocation of NCCA accreditation, if after NCCA review of an organization’s annual report and communication with the certification program, the certification program then fails to respond or its response demonstrates intended lack of compliance with NCCA Standards.
  
  The annual report form is submitted to NCCA electronically as a single, bookmarked pdf.  The annual report forms are sent in April and are due back to the NCCA by June 1^st. 

Annual Accreditation Fee
Organizations with accredited programs must pay a yearly accreditation fee.  The fee schedule is as follows:

Organization with up to two accredited programs	$3,690/year
Each additional accredited program	$760/year
Maximum accreditation fee	$9,770/year

The accreditation fee includes membership in the Institute for Credentialing Excellence.  Organizations with newly accredited programs will pay an accreditation fee for the current year that may be pro-rated based on when accreditation was granted.

• Renewal Applications

  Applicants who receive accreditation of their program(s) are generally accredited for a period of 5 years. When their accreditation is set to expire, they are required to submit a renewal application. The renewal is the same as the initial application—applicants must submit a full application and exhibits provided in a single, bookmarked PDF file. The review process is the same for renewal applications.