Programs with Candidacy Status

This webpage contains resources for faculty and program staff of institutions that are seeking accreditation and who are currently in candidacy status.

The CAPTE Accreditation Portal allows for the electronic submission of program documents. Since the Portal contains confidential program information, access is allowed only with the username and password provided to the program director. Programs with Candidacy Status can check contact information and submit reports (Self-Study Report, Annual Report, and Progress Reports) on the Portal.

Access the Portal

Resource Documents

Accreditation Handbook
Provides the rules of procedure by which CAPTE operates, includes among other items:

Rules of Practice and Procedure
Candidacy Process (Part 7)
Accreditation Process (Part 8)
Substantive Change Rules (Part 9)
Program Fees (Part 16)

Documents Related to Standards and Required Elements

Self-Study Review instructions and forms standards

This document is for BOTH PT and PTA programs that are developing a Self-Study Report; it is not to be used in the development of an Application for Candidacy. If you are looking for individual forms for submission of a Compliance Report/Progress Report, this packet contains: Program Assessment Matrix, CV required format, Scholarship Form, Retention Rate table, Graduation Rate table, Allocations & Expense table, and Clin Ed Placements Available table.

Cheat Sheets (one page list of elements)

Comparison of the Required Elements to Performance Criteria in the Clinical Performance Instruments

Self-Study Process

Any changes to the program's timeline to complete the program for the charter class must be reported to the Accreditation Department.

Candidate programs submit a Self-Study Report and host an on-site visit as part of the process to obtain Accreditation status. Initial accreditation decisions are only made by CAPTE during their regularly scheduled meetings (fall and spring). The related on-site visit for initial accreditation decisions always occurs late in the penultimate term of the charter class and at least 10 weeks prior to the regularly scheduled meeting at which the initial accreditation decision is scheduled to be made. Exceptions to this requirement will not be considered by CAPTE. Since state licensing laws require graduates to be from CAPTE-accredited programs, it is not advisable to have students graduate from a program prior to the program achieving accreditation. Graduation prior to accreditation delays the ability of students to take the licensing exam and, therefore, begin employment.

Self-study Reports are submitted electronically through the CAPTE Accreditation Portal. The required documents, including instructions for and access to the Portal documents, are provided to the program director in January in the year preceding the visit.

Self-Study Workshops
APTA's Accreditation Department holds Self-Study Workshops two times a year. These workshops are held to discuss CAPTE's expectations for specific elements as well as to address general accreditation and self-study processes.