A message from APA-CoA to accredited programs about its federal recognition status

September 29, 2026

The APA Commission on Accreditation is deeply concerned with NACIQI’s recommendation to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to suspend its recognition, despite a Final Staff Report by ED staff to NACIQI that supported renewal. If accepted and implemented by the U.S. Department of Education, this recommendation would have real and lasting consequences for psychology programs, future psychologists, and the nation’s mental health.

We want to first assure you that the Commission remains fully committed to supporting psychology programs and to the quality of psychology education and training necessary to prepare the next generation of mental health professionals. Site visits will continue to occur as scheduled and the Commission’s review of programs scheduled for October will take place as planned. 

We want to share what we currently know about the implications this recommendation, if implemented by ED, may have on your faculty, current students, and prospective students, and we will continue to update you as we learn more. 

SHORT TERM IMPLICATIONS

Right now, this is a recommendation, not a final decision. The Commission continues as a federally recognized accreditor until the final decision is issued by ED. 

NACIQI is an advisory committee to ED, and it could be up to three months before the Senior Department Official (SDO) at ED provides a final decision about the Commission’s federal recognition as an accreditor. 

It is important to remember that the report prepared by the ED staff for NACIQI with input and answers from CoA, known as the Final Staff Report, recommended NACIQI vote to re-recognize the Commission as well as expand its scope to cover accreditation of remote learning and masters’ programs, based on extensive documentation submitted as part of the re-recognition process.

Additionally, the SDO who renders the decision is not bound by the NACIQI recommendation or the recommendation in the Final Staff Report. Possible outcomes range from suspension to recognition with compliance reports or limitations, both of which were raised as alternative approaches during the NACIQI meeting. Termination of recognition is also possible, though it was considered and rejected at the NACIQI meeting. 

Depending on the SDO’s decision, the Commission has the right to appeal to the Secretary of Education. Again, the Commission would continue as a federally recognized accreditor until the Secretary’s final decision. 

POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS ON FEDERAL FUNDING YOUR PROGRAM MAY RECEIVE

As a program accredited by APA-CoA, the only federally recognized health service psychology accreditor, your program has access to critical federal grant funding, including the HRSA Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program and the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program. If the NACIQI recommendation is upheld by the Secretary of Education, the APA-accredited programs currently receiving funds through these grants would no longer be eligible for them. The Commission is deeply disturbed about the very serious harm this would cause to the programs that depend on this funding and to the students and communities they serve. 

Access to Title IV student loan money would be unaffected assuming that the institution in which a program resides is accredited by a federally recognized institutional accreditor, such as, for example, the Higher Learning Commission, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, New England Commission of Higher Education, WASC Senior College Commission, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. 

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: Regardless of the SDO final decision, CoA can and will still accredit programs. Programs’ accreditation status will be unaffected by the SDO final decision and, as mentioned above, Commission operations (i.e. self-study submission dates, site visit dates, and CoA program review) will continue normally to maintain the CoA’s commitment to programs, students, and the public in advancing quality education and training. The Commission remains recognized as an accreditor by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and will continue to apply its Standards of Accreditation so that students receive quality training and programs meet rigorous national standards. 

CONCERNS RAISED AT THE HEARING ABOUT ANTISEMITISM

We also want to speak directly to concerns about antisemitism and discrimination in psychology education and training programs that were raised during the NACIQI meeting. We take these concerns very seriously. Our Standards of Accreditation provide that all students deserve a learning environment free from antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination. 

Antisemitism is a reprehensible form of hatred and bigotry that is a stain on our country. All students deserve a learning environment free from antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination. A training environment that tolerates bias against any group also falls short of preparing psychologists to serve the public well. 

If you have experienced antisemitism or other discrimination in an APA-accredited program, we encourage you to submit a formal complaint to CoA so we may review and address concerns. Students, faculty, and members of the public are entitled to submit a complaint to us and remain anonymous from the program. You can file a complaint directly with CoA here: Complaints & Third-Party Testimony. In addition, you are always also free and encouraged to submit third-party comments about programs scheduled for Commission review, which CoA considers when making an accreditation decision about a program. If you want to understand these options, you can contact us directly and staff will walk you through the process.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Commission understands the anxiety and uncertainty that NACIQI’s recommendation creates for programs, faculty, and students. NACIQI’s recommendation is unfounded and we intend to challenge it. Ultimately, that is not about the Commission, it is about the programs and students we serve for the ultimate benefit of the American public. 

CoA Association Chair for Quality Assurance co-chair Douglas Peterson, PhD, addressed this directly in his remarks to NACIQI, “Let me share personally, as someone who is part of a program in the rural state of South Dakota. Without the federal recognition necessary for federal funding, it would be nearly impossible for my institution and many others in rural communities to provide high-quality training to students in a psychology program to serve the frontier via telehealth and address the opioid crisis.”

The Commission is firmly committed to supporting your programs by taking those actions that will avoid harming students, allow programs to remain financially viable, and ensure that your programs are able to continue to provide quality education and training to students in health service psychology. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at apaaccred@apa.org. 

We are in this together and will do everything we can to keep you updated and support you as we navigate these challenges.

We have also shared an open letter to students who are concerned about the implications of this recommendation on their careers. Please feel free to share this letter among the students in your programs.