The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) is currently undergoing the required five-year review of its recognition by the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

How the Review Works
ED periodically reviews recognized accrediting agencies against the federal recognition criteria in 34 C.F.R. Part 602. An agency submits a petition and supporting materials, Department staff evaluate the record and issue a recommendation, and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) considers the matter at a public meeting. The Senior Department Official then makes the Department’s recognition decision after reviewing the record, including both the staff and NACIQI recommendations.
ACAHM submitted its petition for continued recognition in July 2024. After receiving an initial Department staff report in September 2025, ACAHM submitted a response in February 2026. The Department issued its final staff report on August 21, 2026. Staff recommended continuing ACAHM’s recognition at this time while requiring compliance and monitoring reports addressing specified recognition criteria.

NACIQI’s September 24 Review
NACIQI considered ACAHM’s renewal-of-recognition petition at its September 23–24, 2026 meeting. The review process provided for presentations by NACIQI’s primary readers and Department staff, comments from ACAHM, questions from committee members, an opportunity for third-party comments followed by committee discussion and a vote.
On September 24, NACIQI recommended that the Senior Department Official continue ACAHM’s recognition at this time. NACIQI also recommended that ACAHM demonstrate compliance with criteria identified in the Department’s final staff report, submit a compliance report after the specified compliance period, and submit a monitoring report addressing criteria identified for monitoring. Its motion called for follow-up concerning admissions transparency, curriculum requirements, career earnings-to-student-debt ratios, and student achievement under 34 C.F.R. § 602.16(a)(1)(i). These are NACIQI recommendations, not yet the terms of a final ED decision.

What Happens Next
The Senior Department Official will make the recognition decision after considering the record. ED’s published procedures state that the decision is made within 90 days of the NACIQI meeting. The decision letter will establish ACAHM’s recognition status and any required reports or deadlines. ACAHM will publish an update when ED issues that decision.
ACAHM remains committed to addressing the matters identified during the review and to maintaining rigorous, transparent accreditation practices in support of educational quality and student achievement.