Re- Accreditation (Cycle) applications
Education Providers are required to register their intention via a Notification of Intended Application at a time advised by APAC in the year prior to assessment and then submit a detailed Submission for Accreditation 3 months prior to the agreed scheduled visit.
APAC will consult with the education provider to develop a Site Visit Schedule. In cases where a site visit includes assessment of postgraduate professional programs with specialist content, the specialist content assessors should typically be scheduled for the last two days of the visit.
Out-of-cycle accreditation application (Application for initial accreditation)
Out-of-cycle accreditation assessments, occurring at any point in the five-year cycle period, result in the same monitoring requirements detailed above from cycle accreditation assessments.
Education Providers seeking accreditation for a new program, must first submit a Notice of Intent to APAC. For more information regarding the Notice of Intent process, please contact the APAC office.
Once the Notice of Intent is accepted, the education provider is required to provide a written self-assessment, including supporting documentation detailing how the proposed program meets the Accreditation Standards. This is completed using the Submission for Accreditation.
Education providers should be aware the accreditation process can take up to 12 months to complete. Once APAC has determined that a program is accredited, the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) will consider the program and decide whether to approve the program for the purpose of registration in Australia. Providers must await the approval decision prior to commencing a new program delivering Graduate Competencies at Level 3 and above (APAC Rules for Accreditation 2.3).
Additional Program Titles
Complete an Additional Program Title Form for an additional title with identical content/staffing/mode of delivery as that in an existing accredited program.
An additional title to an existing accredited program being offered online for the first time is regarded as a substantial change and requires completion of a Submission for Accreditation.
Contact the APAC office to discuss whether an application is required for an additional title to an existing accredited program being offered at a new campus.
Complete an Additional Program Title Form when combining an APAC-accredited program title with another program to make a double degree, for example Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)/Bachelor of Commerce.
Complete a Change of Program Title Form to change the name of an existing APAC accredited program.
Discontinued programs (Programs in teach out)
Accredited psychology programs of study which will be, or have been discontinued, and are currently being taught-out, should maintain APAC accreditation until all students have completed the program. A new Discontinued Program Application Form is to be submitted for each discontinued program, when notifying, and particulars of the program including the remaining number of students and the expected teach out dates is to be advised to APAC.
Once a program has been discontinued (or placed in teach out) the relevant psychology programs will receive the grade of Accreditation until their respective accreditation end date. Once there are no longer any students enrolled in the accredited discontinued program, the education provider must submit a new Discontinued Program Application Form advising that accreditation can now end.
Should accreditation need to be extended past the accreditation end date. An assessment of the program/s will need to be included within the re-accreditation (cycle) review, unless otherwise advised that there will be no students within the program beyond the end of the current accreditation cycle.
Should the accreditation of a program expire by virtue of a failure to re-apply for accreditation (or because APAC revokes its accreditation), there is a risk that any student subsequently completing the program of study requirements and graduating from the program may not be considered by the Psychology Board of Australia in the future to hold an APAC-accredited qualification.
Note: A program with a change to the program code but with the same title, content and curriculum may not need to be discontinued, please contact the APAC office for any advice.
