For Students
As a student, you need to be aware of what accreditation is and the critical role it plays in your career and your continuing education.

Who is the CCE?
The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) is the national programmatic accrediting agency for chiropractic education programs.  CCE employs a rigorous, collaborative peer review accreditation process to evaluate the quality of doctor of chiropractic degree education programs. These programs include doctoral degree and residency education programs.

What is accreditation?
Accreditation agencies review and evaluate an institution or program, and provide “a stamp of approval” that standards of quality are being met.  CCE received its accreditation authority from the recognition of the United States Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.  CCE also ascribes to a Code of Good Practice established by the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors.

​How Long Does Accreditation Last?
Accredited programs and institutions are periodically reviewed for reaccreditation to ensure quality standards are maintained. Moreover, standards are continuously improved through comments from practitioners, educators and other communities of interest. If there are complaints or problems that need to be addressed, the program or institution must resolve these quickly. Programs that fail to meet requirements will require additional reporting and/or site visits to determine continued compliance.  If programs fail to correct noncompliance issues within the established timelines set by the accrediting agency, adverse actions will be applied, which include, withdrawal or revocation of accreditation.

How does accreditation work?
The CCE functions independently and autonomously in matters of developing and approving accreditation standards, making accreditation decisions on educational programs and developing and approving procedures that are used in the accreditation process. Accreditation in higher education involves an internal review/self-study by an education program followed by an external review/peer-assessment process that ensures improvement of academic quality and public accountability.  As a part of the peer-review process, students at educational programs have an opportunity to comment and are often interviewed by evaluation team members to ensure an accurate picture of the student academic experience.

​What Gets Evaluated?
•Teaching & Research  •Professional or Specialized Program Curriculum
•Ethics/Integrity •Evaluation & Assessment of Outcomes •Faculty Qualifications •Financial Resources •Library, Information & Learning Resources • Mission & Planning • Organization & Administration •Physical, Laboratory & Training Facilities • Student Support Services

What Does Probation Mean?
The U.S. Department of Education requires the enforcement of standards for all recognized accrediting agencies. If the Council’s review of a program regarding any accreditation standard and/or policy indicates that the program is not in compliance with that accreditation standard and/or policy, the Council must: either immediately initiate adverse action against the program; or, require the program to take appropriate action to bring itself into compliance with the accreditation standard and/or policy within a time period that must not exceed two years.
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Probation is an action reflecting the conclusion of the Council that a program is in significant noncompliance with accreditation standards or policy requirements.  While on probation, a program remains accredited.   The accreditation process to consider removal of probation will take place within the time period established by the Council and this information is identified in the Public Disclosure Notice located in the Most Recent Accreditation Activity tab for the program on the CCE website.  The CCE website is updated following all accreditation decision meetings of the Council and public information is available in the Recent Accreditation Actions tab and in the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree Programs directory, where there is a link for each accredited program.