[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 34, Volume 3]
[Revised as of July 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 34CFR602.15]

[Page 201-202]
 
                           TITLE 34--EDUCATION
 
 CHAPTER VI--OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 
PART 602_THE SECRETARY'S RECOGNITION OF ACCREDITING AGENCIES--Table of Contents
 
                 Subpart B_The Criteria for Recognition
 
Sec. 602.15  Administrative and fiscal responsibilities.

    The agency must have the administrative and fiscal capability to 
carry out its accreditation activities in light of its requested scope 
of recognition. The agency meets this requirement if the agency 
demonstrates that--
    (a) The agency has--
    (1) Adequate administrative staff and financial resources to carry 
out its accrediting responsibilities;
    (2) Competent and knowledgeable individuals, qualified by education 
and experience in their own right and trained by the agency on its 
standards, policies, and procedures, to conduct its on-site evaluations, 
establish its policies, and make its accrediting and preaccrediting 
decisions;
    (3) Academic and administrative personnel on its evaluation, policy, 
and decision-making bodies, if the agency accredits institutions;
    (4) Educators and practitioners on its evaluation, policy, and 
decision-making bodies, if the agency accredits programs or single-
purpose institutions that prepare students for a specific profession;
    (5) Representatives of the public on all decision-making bodies; and
    (6) Clear and effective controls against conflicts of interest, or 
the appearance of conflicts of interest, by the agency's--
    (i) Board members;
    (ii) Commissioners;
    (iii) Evaluation team members;
    (iv) Consultants;
    (v) Administrative staff; and
    (vi) Other agency representatives; and
    (b) The agency maintains complete and accurate records of--
    (1) Its last two full accreditation or preaccreditation reviews of 
each institution or program, including on-site evaluation team reports, 
the institution's or program's responses to on-site reports, periodic 
review reports, any reports of special reviews conducted by the agency 
between regular reviews, and a copy of the institution's or program's 
most recent self-study; and
    (2) All decisions regarding the accreditation and preaccreditation 
of any institution or program, including all

[[Page 202]]

correspondence that is significantly related to those decisions.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 
1845-0003)

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1099b)

                Required Standards and Their Application