Accreditation
Accreditation centered on vertebral subluxation
Accreditation is a process for recognizing educational institutions and programs for a level of performance, integrity, and quality. IACE status assures the public that these programs meet its standards of academic excellence.
Source: IACE Accreditation Documents, 2025 edition
Types of accreditation
Institutional accreditation
Considers the stability of the entire institution. It tends to be most applicable where the vertebral subluxation-centered program is the only training offered.
Programmatic accreditation
Focuses on the vertebral subluxation-centered curriculum, relevant planning and outcomes. It is most applicable where the institution wishes to demonstrate its excellence in this training, or where it may not be the only training offered.
Both are rigorous and should be considered academically equivalent statuses.
Designations
Eligibility
By completing and signing the application, the program or institution attests that it meets these criteria.
The institution must be legally constituted and authorized to operate in its jurisdiction.
The program must have and be pursuing a vertebral subluxation-centered mission.
The institution must demonstrate the operation or feasibility of a vertebral subluxation-centered educational program in terms of function, demographics, public need, student interest, and availability of clinical facilities.
The accreditation process, step by step
The heart of the process is the self-evaluation: the institution “looks at itself” more for the purpose of self-improvement and long-term planning than to gain Accreditation.
Step 1. Institution
Application
The institution submits a Letter of Intent from its chief executive and governing body, documentation of eligibility, the completed Application Form and the application fee.
Step 2. Executive Director
Acceptance and preliminary site visit
The Executive Director reviews eligibility and sends an official letter accepting the application. A preliminary visit, generally one day, provides consultation to the institution's leadership before the self-evaluation begins.
Step 3. Institution
Self-evaluation
The heart of the process. The program reviews its mission, goals and outcomes against the IACE Standards, involving administrators, faculty, students and other constituencies, and submits a Self-Evaluation Report (SER) to the Chair of the Commission on Accreditation.
Step 4. Commission Chair
Site Evaluation Team
A team of two to four evaluators with academic and clinical expertise is selected. The program's CEO first receives a list of at least five potential evaluators and may strike names perceived to have a conflict of interest.
Step 5. Site Evaluation Team
Site evaluation
Through videoconference, interviews and document review over two weeks to one month, the team validates and verifies the Self-Evaluation Report. The Team Chair compiles a Preliminary Site Evaluation Report (PSER) and presents it to the program's leadership.
Step 6. Institution
Program response
Within 30 days the program may correct errors of fact and sends a written response to the findings and recommendations of the PSER.
Step 7. Commission on Accreditation
Commission decision
The Commission reviews the report and the program's response, adopts the Final Site Evaluation Report (FSER), and grants an appropriate status or takes a negative action. The Executive Director notifies the institution's CEO.
Step 8. Institution
Ongoing compliance
Accredited programs submit Annual Reports and notify IACE in writing at least 60 days before any substantive change, such as to mission, degrees, location, curriculum, leadership or financial resources.
The IACE Standards
Accreditation with IACE assures the public that programs holding status are committed to prepare graduates with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to practice as competent, ethical vertebral subluxation-centered chiropractors. The Standards identify the essential elements of this education while respecting institutional autonomy.
- 01Governance
- 02Administration
- 03Faculty
- 04Students
- 05Educational Program
- 06Resources
- 07Assessment
- 08Research and Scholarly Activity
Standards are expressed in terms of “must” and “shall”. Compliance with all IACE Standards is the minimum requirement for Accreditation, regardless of the mode of delivery.
Fees
| Deposit (accompanies the Letter of Intent)Non-refundable | $1,500 |
|---|---|
| Initial application feeIncludes the preliminary site visit; travel and lodging for one person are billed separately | $3,500 |
| Site evaluation feeDue before the Self-Evaluation Report is submitted | $3,000 |
| Annual feeFirst payment due when status is awarded | $2,000 |
| Renewal of status application fee | $1,500 |
|---|---|
| Site evaluation fee | $3,000 |
| Annual feeDue when renewed status is awarded | $2,000 |
All fees are payable in U.S. dollars and are set by the Board of Directors.
Appeals, complaints and confidentiality
- Adverse actions
- Programs substantially out of compliance may receive a warning, probation, administrative probation, deferral, denial or revocation, each with defined time limits.
- Appeals
- Adverse actions other than warnings and administrative probation may be appealed within 30 days before an independent Appeals Panel. The program keeps its prior status during the appeal.
- Complaints
- IACE accepts specific, written complaints about accredited programs, and about IACE itself, addressed to the Executive Director.
- Confidentiality
- Information obtained during evaluation is kept confidential. IACE does not announce actions about an institution other than its accreditation status.
Apply for accreditation
Send the Letter of Intent, documentation of eligibility, the completed application form and payment to the Executive Director. The Home Office is available to assist you, especially during the application and self-evaluation process.
Inquiries
Dr. Myron Brown
Executive Director
Phone
(803) 366-8100