Key takeaways
APA accreditation is a voluntary program-level review conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA). Doctoral programs, internships, postdoctoral residencies, and some master’s programs in health service psychology can be accredited. Obtaining accreditation is a multi-step process, and the Standards of Accreditation (SoA) evaluate programs across a wide range of areas. With Experiential Learning Cloud, institutions can centralize data, track competencies, and generate accreditation-ready reports as they prepare for APA accreditation.
If you lead a psychology training program, seeking or maintaining accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA) likely looms large on your to-do list. Keeping up with the process is rarely simple. Standards shift and reporting deadlines pile up fast.
This guide breaks down the essentials of what you need to know about APA accreditation —the Commission on Accreditation’s standards, how its multi-step review process works, what the different accreditation statuses mean, and how the tracking tools available in Experiential Learning Cloud can make ongoing compliance easier to manage.
What is APA accreditation?
APA accreditation is a voluntary process that involves institutional self-study followed by a review conducted by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (APA-CoA). The APA-CoA is the primary programmatic accreditor for professional education and training in psychology in the United States. It reviews individual programs to confirm they meet defined professional, scientific, educational, and ethical standards.
Accreditation from the APA-CoA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which makes it one of the most widely recognized quality markers in psychology training.
Obtaining APA accreditation is entirely voluntary —no program is required to apply. That said, program directors typically pursue it because accreditation status can influence:
- Student recruitment
- Internship opportunities
- State licensure pathways
- Employer expectations
- Program reputation
Pursuing and maintaining APA accreditation can also support an institution’s continuous improvement goals.
What are the APA Standards of Accreditation (SoA)?
The Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology are the different factors and metrics by which the APA-CoA evaluates programs for quality. The goal is to ensure that programs promote attainment of an agreed-upon standard of professional competency in the students they graduate. According to the February 2026 edition of the SoA, accreditation is “intended to protect the interests of students, benefit the public, and improve the quality of teaching, learning, research, and practice.”
There are separate versions of the SoA for each type of program the APA accredits, but all the versions are organized around similar categories of evidence. The SoA is also oriented around outcomes rather than a fixed checklist. Programs have flexibility in how they demonstrate their achievement of those outcomes.
Core areas addressed by the APA Standards
|
Program type |
What it trains |
|---|---|
|
Program aims and competencies |
Whether the program’s stated goals align with health service psychology and produce graduates competent in areas such as research, ethics, diversity, assessment, intervention, and consultation. |
|
Curriculum and training |
How coursework and training experiences build toward the required competencies, including discipline-specific knowledge and skills. |
|
Practicum and clinical experience |
Supervised training with diverse populations and presenting concerns, documented at the individual student level. |
|
Faculty and supervision |
Faculty qualifications, program leadership, and adequate supervision ratios and hours. |
|
Diversity and cultural responsiveness |
Systematic efforts to recruit and retain diverse students and faculty, and a supportive training climate. |
|
Assessment and outcomes |
Data showing that students, interns, or residents actually achieve required competencies by completion. |
|
Resources and governance |
Institutional support, funding, administrative structure, and policies that support the program. |
|
Continuous improvement |
Ongoing self-study and use of outcome data to refine the program over time. |
Which programs can receive APA accreditation?
The APA-CoA accredits four types of health service psychology programs in three practice areas. Each type of program has its own version of the Standards of Accreditation. The program types include:
|
Program type |
What it trains |
|---|---|
|
Master’s programs |
A small, still-developing category of master’s-level programs in health service psychology (as of September 2026, the APA website states that there are six accredited master’s programs). |
|
Doctoral programs |
Broad, general training in scientific psychology and the foundations of health service psychology practice (442 accredited programs). |
|
Doctoral internships |
The required, supervised internship year that follows doctoral coursework (697 accredited programs). |
|
Postdoctoral residencies |
Advanced-level training in a traditional or specialty practice area after the doctoral internship (170 accredited programs). |
Note that master’s-level programs are the newest accreditation type. The APA-CoA only began accrediting master’s programs in 2024.
Practice areas accredited by the APA-CoA
The three practice areas covered by APA accreditation include clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and school psychology. Programs that combine two or more of these areas may also be considered for accreditation.
It’s worth pointing out that “counseling psychology” programs are distinct from clinical mental health counseling programs found at many universities. These programs, which can also cover marriage and family therapy, are instead accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
APA vs. CACREP Accreditation
APA and CACREP are both programmatic accreditors, but they serve different professional education pathways and shouldn’t be used interchangeably. Here are some of the distinctions between the two:
|
|
APA | CACREP |
|---|---|---|
|
What it accredits |
Doctoral programs, internships, and postdoctoral residencies in health service psychology (plus a small number of master’s programs) |
Master’s and doctoral programs in counseling and related fields |
|
Common practice areas |
Clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology |
Clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, marriage and family therapy, addiction counseling, and related specialties |
|
Typical license it supports |
Licensed psychologist |
Licensed professional counselor (exact title varies by state) |
|
Program level |
Primarily doctoral |
Primarily master’s, with some doctoral counselor education programs |
If your program prepares students to become licensed psychologists, APA accreditation is generally the relevant standard. If it prepares students for counselor licensure, CACREP accreditation is more appropriate. Some states also cite CACREP accreditation or its standards by name in their counselor licensing requirements. You can learn more about CACREP accreditation in our guide on the subject.
What are the APA accreditation requirements?
Before your program can be accredited, you will need to assemble a substantial body of documentation and evidence. Exactly what’s required depends on several factors.
- Program type (master’s, doctoral, internship, or postdoctoral residency)
- Whether the program is applying for “accredited, on contingency” status or full accreditation
- Whether the program is seeking initial accreditation or reaccreditation
- The applicable Standards of Accreditation and their accompanying Implementing Regulations (IRs), which spell out how each standard is interpreted
The chart below provides an overview of the requirements. Note that “proximal” outcome data refers to information about students progressing through a program, while “distal” outcome data refers to information about graduates.
APA requirements by program type and accreditation status
|
Program type |
Accredited, on contingency | Full accreditation |
|---|---|---|
|
Master’s programs |
Clinical experience data and any available competency data, plus proposed alumni surveys —complete outcome data not yet required. |
Complete proximal and distal outcome data submitted. |
|
Doctoral programs |
Practicum data and any available competency data, plus proposed alumni surveys. |
Complete proximal and distal outcome data submitted. |
|
Doctoral internships |
No outcome data required yet, but a fully articulated data-collection plan must be in place. |
Complete proximal and distal outcome data submitted. |
|
Postdoctoral residencies |
No outcome data required yet, but a fully articulated data-collection plan must be in place. |
Complete proximal and distal outcome data submitted. |
(Source: APA, “Applying for Accreditation”)
What are the different APA accreditation statuses?
As the chart above suggests, the APA awards more than one type of accreditation status. There are several different statuses assigned to programs as they move through the accreditation lifecycle. They have different implications that matter for your institution (and for prospective students). Here’s a look at what each status means.
|
Status |
What it means |
|---|---|
|
Intent to apply |
A public declaration that a doctoral, internship, or postdoctoral program plans to seek accreditation soon. This is not an accreditation status and does not guarantee the program will become accredited. |
|
Accredited, on contingency |
Granted once a program meets all standards except for having complete outcome data on its students, interns, or residents. The program must supply that data within a set number of cohorts to move to full accreditation. |
|
Full accreditation |
The program has met all standards, including submission of complete outcome data. This is the highest active accreditation status. |
|
Accredited, on probation |
An adverse status signaling the CoA has found the program is no longer consistent with the standards. Programs cannot have accreditation revoked without first passing through probation. |
|
Revocation of accreditation |
Occurs if a program on probation still hasn’t demonstrated consistency with the standards within its response window. |
(Source: APA, “Other Accreditation Statuses”)
Programs that are listed as either “full accreditation” or “accredited, on contingency” count as being APA-accredited. (“Intent to apply” does not.) Programs with either of these statuses can graduate students who are eligible to pursue state licensure, if APA accreditation is required by your state.
Which states require APA accreditation for licensure?
The policies and regulations that govern licensure to practice psychology are decided by state licensing boards, not the APA. The decision whether to include graduation from an APA-accredited program as part of the criteria for licensure eligibility lies with those boards.
Common factors that may determine licensure eligibility may include:
- License type (for example, licensed psychologist vs. school psychologist)
- Degree level
- Internship requirements
- Examination requirements (most states require passing the EPPP)
- Supervised experience requirements
- State-specific education rules
In practice, most state boards require or strongly prefer a doctoral degree from an APA-accredited program for licensure as a psychologist, and many also require an APA-accredited internship. It’s recommended that you review licensure requirements for your state regularly, as laws and policies are subject to change. The APA maintains a state licensure portal which allows program directors or students to find their state licensing board’s website to review current requirements.
A step-by-step overview of the APA accreditation process
APA accreditation isn’t achieved with a single application. Instead, your program will need to complete a multi-year process with distinct stages. These are detailed in the APA-CoA’s accreditation process overview. Here’s a look at the main stages of the accreditation lifecycle:
Step 1 —Register in the CoA portal
The first step in the APA accreditation process is to register as an applicant with the Council on Accreditation’s web portal. The Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation (OPCA) will review and approve your application, which allows you to submit a self-study.
Step 2 —Complete and submit the self-study
Your program will then need to complete and submit a self-study. This includes documentation about your program which shows the CoA how well you align with the Standards of Accreditation. Specific policies and procedures for compiling and submitting your self-study will vary depending on the level of program you are applying to accredit. The APA publishes self-study policies and procedures on its website.
OPCA staff carry out a preliminary review before approving your file for a site visit. If they don’t approve your self-study, that’s usually because the information in it shows the program is materially inconsistent with the SoA. You’ll need to address those gaps before you can progress to the next step.
Step 3 —Receive approval for a site visit
Once your self-study is approved, a team of trained site visitors will visit your campus to conduct an in-person evaluation. They will submit a report which you can review and respond to prior to the CoA placing your program on its program review agenda.
Step 4 —CoA program review and decision
After your site visit, the CoA will meet to decide whether to grant or deny accreditation. If you’re applying for reaccreditation, they will decide whether to continue your accreditation, place your program on probation, or revoke your accredited status.
Step 5 —Maintain accreditation
To maintain APA accreditation, programs must submit annual reports, periodic interim reports, and a full self-study when their accreditation comes up for renewal. Programs that stay organized with ongoing data collection tend to find the accreditation process less burdensome than those that scramble to reconstruct years of records weeks before a deadline.
A note on APA accreditation fees
Fees apply at every stage of the process. They vary according to the type of program you’re seeking to accredit, the accreditation status you’re applying for, and the number of students in your program. The APA maintains a public list of its current fees on its website.
How Experiential Learning Cloud supports the APA accreditation process
Meeting the standards above is one challenge. Documenting that you meet them consistently across every cohort every year is another. Experiential Learning Cloud offers programs a single system for organizing the evidence APA-CoA reviewers expect to see, so accreditation prep doesn’t have to mean digging through years of spreadsheets and email threads.
Centralized accreditation data
Instead of having to gather practicum logs, rubric scores, and from dozens of disconnected spreadsheets, tracking apps, and inboxes, Experiential Learning Cloud creates a single data collection system that administrators, faculty, and students all use.
Real-time student progress insights
Programs can monitor individual student progress, competency achievement, rubric results, required experience hours, instructor approvals, and outstanding requirements in real time—then roll that student-level data up into program-level evidence for the APA self-study.
Field experience and clinical practicum management
Experiential Learning Cloud supports placement management, clinical hour tracking, supervisor communication, and documentation, along with the student and faculty approvals that go with it. This lets programs keep a running record that maps back to APA evidence requirements.
Built-in APA accreditation reports
With Experiential Learning Cloud, your program administrators won’t have to create reports from scratch. The platform includes several built-in report types designed to support accreditation and program review, including:
- Individual Student Rubric Analysis
- Group Rubric Analysis
- Individual Student Accreditation Standards
- Group Analysis of Accreditation Standards
- Accreditation Standards Raw Data
Reports can be filtered by class, date range, program, or other criteria, then exported as a PDF in minutes.
Support for ongoing compliance and reaccreditation
Because accreditation is a lifecycle, not a one-time event, historical and longitudinal data matter just as much as current-year data. Experiential Learning Cloud helps programs pull that history together to support interim reporting, continuous improvement documentation, reaccreditation self-studies, and faster responses when the CoA or a state board requests additional evidence—reducing the administrative scramble that often comes with these deadlines.
Set your psychology programs up for APA accreditation success
APA accreditation requires a commitment to sustained data collection, clear documentation, and ongoing self-assessment. Programs that build strong data habits early tend to find both the initial accreditation process and every reaccreditation cycle after it far more manageable.
If your team is preparing for an APA accreditation review—or trying to make reaccreditation less of a scramble—Experiential Learning Cloud can help centralize your data and generate the reports your program needs.
Request a demo to see how Experiential Learning Cloud can support your APA accreditation efforts.
Rose Judson
Technology Copywriter, higher education, statistical, and risk management specialist
Rose Judson is an independent communications consultant based in the UK. For more than 15 years, she has written for higher education, technology, and healthcare organizations. She has been writing about data analysis, risk management, and college field experience topics since 2023.
Frequently asked questions
APA accreditation is a voluntary review by the APA Commission on Accreditation confirming that a psychology program meets defined professional, scientific, and ethical training standards.
The Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology (SoA) cover areas like program aims, curriculum, practicum training, faculty qualifications, diversity efforts, and outcome data, with separate versions for doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral programs.
Requirements vary by program type and accreditation status but generally include a detailed self-study, evidence of practicum or internship training, faculty qualifications, and outcome data showing students achieve required competencies.
The APA-CoA doesn’t guarantee a specific timeline, since it depends on factors like self-study review time, site visit scheduling, and program review agendas. Programs should contact the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation directly for guidance on current timelines.
Fees vary by program type and size. The CoA has approved a new fee structure taking effect January 1, 2027. See the APA’s current fee schedule for exact figures by program type.
“Accredited, on contingency” a status granted when a program meets all standards except for having complete outcome data on its students, interns, or residents. The program must provide that data within a set number of cohorts to reach full accreditation.
No. “Intent to apply” is a public notice that a program plans to seek accreditation—it isn’t an accreditation status and doesn’t guarantee the program will be accredited.
That depends on each state’s psychology licensing board and can vary by license type and degree level. Most boards require or strongly prefer an APA-accredited doctoral program and internship, though a small number of states accept programs that demonstrate substantial equivalency. Check with your state board for current requirements.
APA accredits doctoral programs, internships, and postdoctoral residencies (plus a small number of master’s programs) in health service psychology, typically leading to licensure as a psychologist. CACREP accredits master’s and doctoral counseling programs, typically leading to licensure as a professional counselor.
Experiential Learning Cloud centralizes accreditation data, tracks student competencies and field experience, and generates the rubric and standards reports programs need for self-studies, annual reports, and reaccreditation.
