APAC assesses education providers and their programs of study to determine whether a program meets the Accreditation Standards.
APAC accepts applications from recognised education providers offering appropriate qualifications in psychology and request that education providers make themselves familiar with the information on this website (in particular the accreditation process below and the more detailed APAC Rules & Standards) before contacting APAC for advice.
Full cycle accreditation assessments are undertaken every five years, with out-of-cycle accreditation assessments undertaken as required at any point within the five year period.
An education provider due for its full cycle accreditation assessment submits an application for accreditation for its program(s) of study to be assessed against the Accreditation Standards. An Assessment Report is prepared based on the information provided by the education provider as well as the observations of the assessors, and is informed by meetings with staff, students, supervisors and other stakeholders. The onus is on the education provider to demonstrate that it and its programs meet the Accreditation Standards.
Assessments of new programs yet to commence may take the form of an on-paper assessment. A follow-up site visit assessment of these ‘under development’ programs would then be conducted and are scheduled once students have commenced.
While full cycle accreditation assessments occur every five years, education providers and their programs of study can be audited by APAC at any time. Any of the following can result in accreditation assessments being conducted within the five-year cycle:
- New programs introduced within the five year period in out-of-cycle assessments
- Changes to the provider or its programs since the last assessment
- Evidence of breaches of standards received by APAC
It is the responsibility of an education provider to, at all times, accurately inform students and other stakeholders of the accreditation status of its programs of study.
APAC-accredited programs of study which are subsequently approved by the PsyBA for the purposes of registration as a psychologist are listed on the PsyBA website as 'Psychology Approved Programs of Study'.
Accreditation process for full cycle accreditation assessments
