Accreditation has two fundamental purposes:

1. To certify the quality of the institution or program and
2. To help assist in the improvement of the institution and its programs.

The bodies conducting institutional accreditation are national or regional in scope and comprise the institutions that have achieved and continue to maintain accreditation. A specialized (or program) body conducting accreditation of a program preparing students for a profession or occupation is often closely associated with professional associations in the field.

Both institutional and specialized bodies conduct the accreditation process by using a common pattern. The pattern requires integral self-study of the institution or program, followed by an on-site visit by an evaluation committee and a subsequent review and decision by a central governing group. Within this general pattern, the various accrediting bodies have developed a variety of individual procedures adapted to their own circumstances.

Members of the ACFICSCU have been found to meet specific criteria of procedure and organization regarded as necessary for the effective conduct of the accrediting process. In the United States, accreditation is voluntarily sought by institutions and programs and is conferred by non-governmental bodies.

Member Benefits:

1. The ACFICSCU staff will pray for you throughout the year.
2. Your name will be added to our member directory on the ACFICSCU website at www.accreditingcouncil.com, unless you request otherwise for privacy purposes.
3. Your school may advertise for open staff positions free of charge on our website.
4. You will be eligible for discounted conference vender registration at our annual national conference.
5. As a member school you may request to receive accreditation and pursue teacher certification through ACFICSCU.
6. Conferences and workshops for Teachers, Administrators and Trustee.
7. Information on legislation and regulations.
8. Newsletters.
9. Networking opportunities.
10. List services for Administrators

To be a full member of ACFICSCU, schools must have received accreditation by the Council. ACFICSCU offers a wide range of benefits and resources for accredited member. The ACFICSCU serves and strengthens its schools by setting standards of academic quality and ethical conduct, by providing for the professional growth of faculty, administrators, and trustees, and by promoting ethnic and socio-economic diversity.

The leadership of the ACFICSCU is aware that accreditation never has and never will assure quality in any school. It will, however, cause a Christian school to self-evaluate its educational process and to receive counsel from experienced Christian educators. The accreditation process will also help a Christian school identify its programs' weaknesses and offer suggestions on how these areas can be strengthened. In this way, accreditation should assist a Christian school in improving the quality of its educational program. The ACFICSCU is committed to helping Christian schools produce a quality product.

Accreditation does not guarantee a quality product, but rather verifies a quality process being implemented by an accredited school. There are unaccredited schools producing an outstanding educational product and accredited schools failing to do the same. Accreditation does, however, require the school to evaluate its educational process objectively. For this reason, the Accrediting Council for Independent Schools, Colleges and Universities encourages its schools to go through the Voluntary Accreditation Program, whether they become officially accredited or not.