Accreditation Higher Education (Colleges and Universities)

Announcement

AER Accreditation Council announces the following revision to the Higher Education Accreditation Handbook, effective 8-28-2025

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PREVIOUS TEXT:
Once the Application Form and payment has been received by AER and processed, the AER Accreditation Manager will contact the program to reach mutual agreement on the target date to submit the following self-study forms.

REVISION:
Application for Initial Accreditation:
Programs may submit an initial Application Form and payment at any time. Once the application and fee are received and processed by AER, the Accreditation Manager will acknowledge receipt and confirm the deadline for submission of the self-study materials. Programs must submit all required self-study documentation within one (1) year of the application date.

If the self-study materials are not received within this one-year period, the program must reapply and submit a new application fee.
No extensions will be granted for initial applications.

Application for Renewal:
Programs seeking renewal of accreditation must submit self-study materials no later than the final day of the month in which the current accreditation term expires.

Programs may request an extension by submitting a formal written request to AER.
Extensions may be granted for up to six (6) months per request, with a maximum of two (2) extensions, not to exceed twelve (12) months total.
Additional extensions beyond this limit will not be granted. Programs failing to submit materials within this extended timeframe may be subject to further action by the Higher Education Accreditation Committee (HEAC), including probation or withdrawal of accreditation.

AER also announces new address to be used for mailing accreditation fee checks and other correspondence:

AER
PO BOX 16288
Lubbock, TX 79490

Mission

HEAC MISSION STATEMENT:
As a Commission, we are dedicated to ensuring that institutions of higher education prepare professionals for successful employment where they provide services of the highest quality to individuals who are blind and those who have low vision.   

The AER Accreditation Program for institutions of higher education is designed to ensure that colleges and universities across the United States and abroad are offering O&M, TVI, LVT, VRT, and AT personnel preparation programs that meet administrative/management standards and certified professional standards and Curricular Standards.

Accreditation is awarded in the following categories:

Full Accreditation requires that 100% of Core Standards and 100% of Curricular Standards be fully met. Following the year accreditation is awarded, programs are required to submit the Annual Program Report, which is due in March for the previous calendar year. Each program uses an Annual Program Report form to provide evidence it is measuring and reporting to the public its own ongoing academic quality.

Provisional Accreditation is awarded to programs seeking initial accreditation that have demonstrated substantial progress towards meeting all of the standards but need additional time to come into full compliance. The program is not accredited at this time and has one year to provide evidence it has corrected the flaws.

Probationary Accreditation is awarded when the program seeking re-accreditation is making substantial progress toward meeting all of the standards but needs additional time to come into full compliance. The program remains accredited at this time.

Accreditation Denial is decided if the outcome of the review process determines that the program is not in substantial compliance with the standards.

The following program types are eligible for consideration through the AER Accreditation Program:

Assistive Technology (AT)
Low Vision Therapists (LVT)
Orientation & Mobility (O&M)
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI)
Vision Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)

Want to know more about the AER Accreditation Program for College and University Programs?
Handbook
HEAC Frequently Asked Questions
Webinar on Preparing for HEAC Accreditation

Documents
Higher Education Accreditation Application Form
Annual Program Report Form

Standards
Core (Administrative/Management)
Assistive Technology (AT)
Low Vision Therapy (LVT)
Orientation and Mobility (O&M)
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI)
Vision Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)