Indian Council of Accreditation & Assessment

इंडियन कौंसिल ऑफ़ एक्रेडिटेशन एंड असेसमेंट

If you are seeking accreditation for your institute and its courses,
ICAA is an authentic body with great quality and standard procedures.

Step 1

Explore ICAA Website to Know About Accreditation & Its Significance.

Step 2

Meet Representative for General Assessment & get an idea about Accreditation of Institute.

Step 3

Understand the Procedure.

Step 4

Visit www.icaa.in; Download Form, Fill, & Submit Application & Deposit Fee,

Step 5

Register, furnish documents & fee as stated; get Access to Portal through Unique Code

Step 6

Once Registered, You Come Under Direct Scanner of ICAA, Documents Verified, etc.

Step 7

Site Visit Dates Finalized& Conveyed; Institute Begins Preparation

Step 8

Compiling& Readying Course Material& Special Courses for review of the Visiting Team

Step 9

Simultaneously ICAA Committee begins the process

Step 10

ICAA sends out Students Survey forms to students with self-addressed reply envelopes to ease response

Step 11

Verifiers appointed / assigned Site Visit

Step 12

Interaction, Problems Identified, Solutions Discussed, Rectification Action Initiated

Step 13

Steps taken by Institute for immediate resolution

Step 14

Submission of Comprehensive Report Containing all above Details by ICAA Committee

Step 15

Copy of the Same Sent in Advance to Institute for Final Tune-up

Step 16

After Final Tune-up, Report Returned to Committee

Step 17

Final Docket (With all corrections) Forwarded to ICAA Accreditation Board

Step 18

Accreditation Board Takes a Call & Notifies its Decision in Writing

Step 19

Courses/institutes Found Okay, Granted Accreditation, and Announcement Goes Live on ICAA Website

Every educational and training or coaching institute applying or desiring for applying for accreditation ought to know that it is a voluntary step, one’s own choice. Institutions, those seeking fresh or first time accreditation as well as those seeking renewal can apply for the same here.

Before formally approaching with a request for getting affiliation, we suggest you meet our Board/Representative informally who will study your status and tell you if you’ll be eligible or steps you need to take to become eligible. The Board/Representative will also explain the procedure to initiate the process and move application through the formal channels.

First and foremost the institute that seeks accreditation should download the Accreditation Application Form from our website. They should fill it up, attach all relevant documents required, and submit it with a DD of INR —–. This is a one time investment you make towards earning the certification. The Registrar verifies the documents, on finding them okay he creates a unique username and password for you to enable you to Login to the portal. We will also be providing the institute with a Certificate of Registration.

Next, ICAA puts the institute under surveillance for a period of ——-year during which it observes various aspects of its functioning. Once institute clears this, it deposits INR. —– yearly Accreditation Fee to initiate the actual Accreditation process. The ICAA now begins to guide institutes through various stages to prepare them to meet all the standards and ensure quick processing and granting of Accreditation.

Institutes can login to the portal and choose various courses that they want to get an accreditation for. The Accreditation Fee will be calculated based on number of courses you apply Accreditation for. The institute has to make a DD and submit it at the ICAA office. ICAA office will upload the record and this status will start showing on the portal when Institute logs in.

The first-time Accreditation applicants have to furnish three copies of DD of its SER within 60 days of the date of submitting the application. Once ICAA receives the same, the Head of Accreditation and Assessment arranges for a review for which it appoints an authentic evaluator whose job is to ensure that the institute is made Ready-for-Site-Visit. The evaluator issues a report after studying the institution to deem it “Set & Ready,” to undergo formal site visit. If on site visit flaws are found, then the institute rectifies them before ICAA proceeds to the next step with the accreditation process.

On-site visits dates are fixed as per mutual convenience. The site visits last one to two days, depending upon the size of the institution.

If the institute offers distance learning courses or any special courses, visit and process of scrutiny is planned in advance.

Course material is also submitted during accreditation process by institutions.

Institutes having fewer than 100 students have to submit all the names and addresses of students on self-adhesive mailing labels; institutes having more than hundred students have to submit names and addresses of the first 50 students successively from the first day of the 12th month preceding the date of the application.
As far as possible, the number of students must be evenly (approximately) divided among different courses you offer or have applied accreditation for. E.g. if institute has a strength of 100 students who have enrolled in two separate courses, then the mailing labels should be divided between the two courses nearly evenly. The students on the mailing list of are given a survey that contains questions w.r.t. enrollment practices, quality of education and professors, other services, and assessing students satisfaction with the course(s) as well as the institution. The students receive these surveys with self-addressed stamped envelope to ensure that student has no excuse to not post the survey form filled, back to the Commission.
At this stage institutions are through with submission of SER, are in receipt of Subject Specialist Reports, and begin responding to comments.

Institutes On-Site Visit :
Authentic appointed verifiers during site visits observe the working and may question institutes about methodic of teaching, logic or thought process behind designing a course module, assessment methods adopted by them, as they try to arrive at a non-biased judgment and give them a rating. Course material and documents furnished at initial stage are also verified again. The Examiner’s Rating Form guides the Committee members in their inquiries.
Authentic appointed verifiers during site visits observe the working and may question institutes about methodic of teaching, logic or thought process behind designing a course module, assessment methods adopted by them, as they try to arrive at a non-biased judgment and give them a rating. Course material and documents furnished at initial stage are also verified again. The Examiner’s Rating Form guides the Committee members in their inquiries.
The loop comprising examiner, verifier, Board helmed by Director, Committee comprising experienced academicians and competent assessors, and tools such as Rating Form etc. ensure that objectivity, impartiality, uniformity is maintained and adherence to established procedures is followed at every step to create a superior outcome.

Evaluators examine & validate SER information :
The Committee is assigned responsibility to work in their area of expertise while on-site verification is underway to ensure ratings are accurate whether it is about interacting with staff, reviewing dockets and files, checking or cross checking individual data, or consolidating all the information to prepare individual reports or issuing a combined report before issuance of Accreditation certificate

Head of Committee Conveys Date to Institute When Report Will Be Sent : As the visit concludes, the person who heads this process meets head of visited institute to tell him/her when he/she may expect to receive the Head’ s Report. It may take anywhere between 20 days and one month.

Commission surveys on-site evaluators :
After the on-site visit, the Committee surveys the verifiers for any questions and comments they may have on the SER submitted by institute, the visit, or even the accreditation process.

Head of Committee compiles a final report inclusive of all comments that in turn is submitted to Accreditation Body on which Seal of Approval is awaited
Accreditation exercise, generally headed by chairman of the committee who is assigned the job compiles a final docket and sends to ICAA Main Body. The purpose of this Report is to present a clear and factual picture to the Accrediting Commission comprising a set of succinct and accurate reports, compilation of findings done by the Verifiers team.

Content of the All Inclusive Report :
This compilation offers a collective view of the findings of Committee members and subject specialists on the policies, conditions, and practices of the institution vis-à-vis published standards for accredited institutions to get a fair view at a glance. The Head’s Report also contains findings, comments, recommendations of the Subject Specialist reports, response of Institution to such comments or steps taken by them to set things in order by the institutions etc. The report is all inclusive and can generate Macro as well as Micro view, depending on what one seeks.

Institute receives a copy of report before it is forward to Accreditation Board and is given a time window to resolve final issues:
It is ensured that this On-Site Report is sent to institute 4 weeks before it is forwarded to the head of commission to review, comment, and respond before the Accrediting Commission suggestions measures and action. It provides the institution with a window to respond to Committee findings and bring into notice any corrective actions that are taken post the visit/comment. The institution has about a fortnight at its disposal to take corrective measures or resolve issues raised by head of committee, so that every problem is ironed out before the report reaches Accreditation body for final approval.

Report Reaches Table of Accreditation Board for Final Announcement of ICAA Verdict:
The board meets to view all reports collectively with or without the team as deemed fit. They go through students survey findings, various reports submitted by commission at every stage of progress, including on-site visit report, comments, objections raised by the committee, action taken by institutes as corrective measures, and any other report compiled by members at various stages.

Based on their findings, insight, and observation ICAA announces the decision:
If they are satisfied with institute’s standard and quality they give their seal of approval if institute is new; if this was an application of renewal, renewal is approved.
Accredit, or continue accreditation with a pre-condition that the institution agrees to meet within one year, or as agreed by ICAA failing which ICAA has a right to take action.
If all reports are not submitted as per procedure, the accreditation can be put on hold, till ICAA deems fit, such period need not exceed one year or as agreed
The last option is that ICAA board may reject or deny accreditation request of an applicant, or in case of an existing accredited institute withdraw accreditation from an accredited institution if they have failed to comply or do not meet standards set by ICAA.
There are instances when ICAA board deems it suitable to grant an extension of time on a deferral and/or accreditation that may have conditions attached to it.


Accreditation Approval Notification Duly Conveyed to Institute:
After accreditation decision is finalized, the ICAA board formally notifies the institution within 15 days. If the ICAA has rejected the case, or has decided to withdraw Accreditation from existing institute for any reason what so ever, the institution is notified in this case also, albeit along with a statement clarifying the reasons for rejection.
Rejected institution has a right to appeal or request reconsideration of the decision to the ICAA board.The ICAA takes such hearings on a priority and does all that is within its reach to resolve the issue. If an institution is denied accreditation or if accreditation is withdrawn, in such a situation it is mandatory for the institution to reapply after a period of one year from the date rejection or denial decision. After one year such institutes can apply afresh, with fee, new and latest documentation at all.

Accreditation Status of Institute & its Course Goes Live on ICAA Website
Once a course of an Institute gets recognition as an accredited course it goes live on the ICAA website. Any student wanting to verify simply has to visit ICAA website and put registration or identification number of the course to view all the details about institute, tis course etc. All judgments of the ICAA Board are final and binding.