Official Standards & Policy

NASPAA Accreditation Standards - adopted in 2009, and amended in 2019, the set of Standards against which programs seeking accreditation are evaluated.
Programs seeking accreditation in the 2020-2021 cohort had two choices. They could be evaluated against the 2009 NASPAA Accreditation Standards, last amended in 2014, and use the 2017 Self-Study Instructions, or the 2019 NASPAA Accreditation Standards, using the 2019 Self-Study Instructions.
Programs seeking accreditation in the 2021-2022 and later cohorts will be evaluated under the 2019 NASPAA Accreditation Standards, using the 2019 Self-Study Instructions, which include the template for Self-Study Reports, as well as resources for conforming to the Standards (Bases of Judgment, Glossary, Examples). Last updated December 2019.
Site Visit Manual – detailed information about Site Visits: what to expect and how to prepare for both site visitors and programs.
Peer Review and Accreditation Policies and Procedures – the official rules and processes guiding COPRA, site visit teams, and programs.

COPRA Policy Statements – a window into the Commission’s decision-making, updated after each accreditation cohort. Last updated 2019.
Self-Study Instructions Summary of Changes – a full listing of the streamlining edits in the 2019 versus the 2017 Self-Study Instructions (edited December 10, 2019). These are retained here for reference.