Achieve Accreditation Status

Registration is mandatory. Accreditation is voluntary.

A registered institution may voluntarily seek accreditation. It requires the institution to maintain additional quality standards in excess of registration requirements. It is also a base requirement for institutions to apply for a StudentAid BC designation or the Education Quality Assurance (EQA) designation.

Accreditation is PCTIA's higher level of recognition for private career training institutions.

Who may apply for accreditation?

Institutions actively registered for over one year and meeting the requirements listed in the PCTIA Bylaws.

How does an institution become accredited?

1. New Accreditation Workshop

The workshop consists of two parts: reviewing an online presentation and participting in a full day New Accreditation Workshop.

By the end of the workshop, you should:

  • have a first draft of your Institutional Accreditation Report (found on the Forms page);
  • understand the quality standards and requirements for accredited institutions;
  • have developed the forms and policies needed for your accreditation; and
  • understand your responsibilities and ongoing reporting requirements.

The fee for the workshop is $100.00. If you wish to have more than one attendee, the fee is $50.00 for each additional representative from your institution attending.

After completing the online presentation, sign up for the New Accreditation Workshop here.

2. Submit an Application for Accreditation

Complete your Application for Accreditation and submit it to PCTIA with the applicable fee within six months of attending the workshop.

3. Complete a site visit by a Compliance and Regulatory Officer

A Compliance and Regulatory Officer will visit your school to ensure the quality standards of accreditation are being met.

4. Draft and submit an Institutional Accreditation Report

The report must demonstrate the institution meets PCTIA's accreditation standards of quality.

The fee for an Application for Accreditation is $2,500 for a main campus and $1,000 for each branch campus.

5. Schedule the accreditation team site visit

After the Institutional Accreditation Report has been received and accepted, PCTIA plans a site visit by a PCTIA-appointed accreditation team. Site visit fees are listed here. The team consists of a Team Chair and subject matter experts for each program area. The team's job is to validate the information in the Institutional Accreditation Report.

The main areas of review for accreditation are:

  • Statement of purpose or mission statement
  • Administrative capacity
  • Facilities and institutional resources
  • Instructors
  • Academic policies and student services
  • Program delivery
  • Distance education
  • Program Advisory Committee

Based on the audit team report the Registrar determines whether to grant accreditation.

Completion time, from submission of the application to final decision by the Registrar is between 6 months and 1 year. The time can vary depending on the institution's completion of stated requirements.