The accreditation process

Accreditation is based on an inspection of the full range of your institution’s provision, and we also require evidence that your management maintains acceptable standards and its legal obligations during the period of accreditation.

Prospective institutions undergo a first level of scrutiny by BAC staff through the application review stage. Once this is completed, you will receive a rigorous inspection which assesses your provision against the minimum standards set out in the relevant scheme document. A report of this inspection is then considered by the Accreditation Committee, which can then decide to award, defer or refuse accreditation based on the evidence of whether all minimum standards have been met.

Once you have read all the information on this website and in the Accreditation Handbook and scheme documents, should you still have any questions you are invited to contact our office by email or telephone. We organise regular seminars introducing prospective applicants to the principles of accreditation and exploring the process in more detail; details of forthcoming seminars are published on this website.

Whilst our inspectors and staff always attempt to offer helpful advice, you should bear in mind that we are primarily an inspection body. In applying for accreditation, you must be prepared to accept constructive criticism of your provision as well as positive comment on good practice.

Application, inspection and accreditation timings

Below is a timeline for new and re-accreditation applications for accreditation. If any cut-off date is missed for any reason, your inspection report may be submitted to the next Accreditation Committee meeting in the series. Processing an application may take up to several weeks to allow for proper scrutiny. If additional information and/or documentation are requested, please be prompt in responding in order to reduce delays in processing.