ACCREDITATION

NORTH AMERICAN BIBLE SCHOOL ACCREDITATION AGENCY

NORTH AMERICAN BIBLE SCHOOL ACCREDITATION AGENCY (NABSAA)

  • NABSAA is an association of independent Christian colleges and seminaries committed to academic excellence, intellectual freedom, ethical conduct, and moral integrity.
  • NABSAA was organized as a corporation in the State of Pennsylvania to help establish, support, maintain, and promote the development of non-traditional, modular, and private tutoring/mentoring methods on-campus, and audio/video-taped, on-line, and other distance learning methods off-campus.
  • NABSAA fosters flexible, experimental, innovative, personalized learning alternatives, as well as traditional post-secondary and graduate-level educational modalities.
  • NABSAA -affiliated schools offer degrees which are absolutely legitimate, totally honorable, widely respected, and generally accepted within the Christian community.

Objectives & Programs

  • Serve as a link for spiritual fellowship, mutual encouragement, technical assistance, and professional information-sharing among member schools.
  • Represent the NABSAA membership before government agencies and regulatory bodies.
  • Sponsor a national conference offering seminars, clinics and workshops, and an awards ceremony where member schools will be recognized and honored for outstanding achievement.
  • Establish an independent Accrediting Commission to evaluate and to certify Christian colleges and seminaries.

NABSAA ACCREDITATION PROCEDURES

Procedure for NABSAA Membership and Accreditation:
  • School official submits “Membership Application and Institutional Profile” along with the $100 annual fee.
  • If school is approved for membership, a Membership certificate is issued which is valid for one year.
  • Member schools will maintain that status so long as their annual reports are current and their annual fees are paid.
  • Schools which are not approved for membership will receive a full refund of their annual $100 fee.
  • Member schools only may apply as a “Candidate for Accreditation” by submitting the official form and paying a $100 fee; NABSAA will issue a “Candidate for Accreditation” certificate which will be valid for six months.
  • NABSAA will mail the Accreditation Guidelines Handbook to the candidate school, along with a Self-study Workbook and a detailed checklist of expectations and preparations to be completed before the on-site visit by the Accrediting Commission team from NABSAA.
  • The school will schedule an on-site visit by the team of evaluators from NABSAA within the 6-month period while this Candidate certificate is valid.
  • If the school is unprepared or unable to schedule an on-site visit within the first 6-month period, it may renew that Candidate certificate for up to three additional 6-month periods by paying the $200 renewal fee for each extension.
  • A school may hold Candidate status for no more than two years; if the school remains a Candidate for Accreditation for more than two years without scheduling an on-site visit, the school must wait one year before re-applying for Candidate status.
  • The school must pay the $500 accreditation fee when it schedules the on-site visit by the NABSAA evaluation team.
  • The candidate school must pay the round-trip travel before the on-site visit. Overnight lodging and meal expenses for the 2-day visit by the accreditation team from Bethlehem, PA must be paid within 30 days of the completion of the on-site visit.
  • Shortly after the on-site visit, the NABSAA evaluation team will report the findings to the NABSAA Accrediting Commission which will evaluate the school’s compliance with the accrediting criteria and vote to grant or deny accreditation.
  • If the vote is favorable, an “Accredited Member” certificate will be issued to the school, but only after all expenses of the on-site visit have been paid in full.
  • If the vote is not favorable, deficiencies will be noted, the school will be advised, and an extension of up to one year will be granted for the school to come into full compliance. A one-time additional fee of $100 will be charged.
  • The school must pay the $500 accreditation fee. Accreditation is valid for seven years. If annual fees are paid and annual reports submitted, “Accredited Member” certificates will be issued each year with the expiration date prominently noted. A NABSAA-accredited school must schedule an on-site evaluation visit to be conducted by the NABSAA evaluation team in order to be re-certified every seven years.

NORTH AMERICAN BIBLE SCHOOL ACCREDITATION AGENCY

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