ARC-PA accreditation is the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant's review of PA programs against its Accreditation Standards for PA Education, Sixth Edition, effective September 1, 2025. This page is for colleges and universities that sponsor a PA program, or plan to start one. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) translates the ARC-PA standards into your program's policies and evidence file; your PA faculty and medical director own the education.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
What is ARC-PA accreditation?
ARC-PA accredits entry-level PA programs. Its site states: "The ARC-PA only accredits programs that educate PAs" (ARC-PA, Developing Programs). Accreditation starts with the sponsor: "Accreditation of PA programs is a process initiated by the sponsoring institution. It includes a comprehensive review of the program relative to the Standards and it is the responsibility of the PA program to demonstrate its compliance with the Standards" (ARC-PA, Accreditation Process).
The governing text is the "Accreditation Standards for PA Education, Sixth Edition," "First Published August 18, 2025 Effective September 1, 2025." The current file carries change notifications dated 8/15/2025, 8/27/25 and 10/03/25, the last of which reads: "Preamble added. Standard C1.02 revised to remove the requirement for graduates. Standard C1.03 rescinded" (ARC-PA Standards, 6th ed.). Clinical postgraduate PA programs are reviewed under a separate standards manual (ARC-PA, Postgraduate Standards Manual); this page covers entry-level programs.
Two examples show how specific the Sixth Edition is:
- Standard A1.01: "When more than one institution is involved in the provision of academic and/or clinical education, terms are clearly described and documented in a manner signifying agreement by the involved institutions" (ARC-PA Standards, 6th ed.).
- Standard B3.04: "Supervised clinical practice experiences occur in the following settings: a) emergency department b) inpatient c) outpatient d) operating room" (ARC-PA Standards, 6th ed.).
A new program enters through Accreditation-Provisional. ARC-PA defines it as "an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program's ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards." It "is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class" and "remains in effect until the program achieves accreditation-continued after its third review" (ARC-PA, Accreditation Types and Review Cycle).
Who needs it and what triggers it
The buyers are PA program sponsors: the institution that runs a PA program or intends to. The triggers on ARC-PA's own pages are:
- Starting a program. Sponsors applying for provisional accreditation "must be authorized under applicable law to provide a program of post-secondary education," and "Programs pursing accreditation should not matriculate students until the program has been granted provisional accreditation" (wording as printed) (ARC-PA, Developing Programs).
- Reviews during the provisional period. ARC-PA's fee schedule lists interval assessments, including "Provisional Monitoring" and "Final Provisional" (ARC-PA, Fees).
- Continuing review. "PA programs typically are subject to comprehensive evaluation on a ten-year cycle" (ARC-PA, Accreditation Process).
- A new edition of the standards. The Sixth Edition took effect September 1, 2025, and was revised again by the 10/03/25 change notification (ARC-PA Standards, 6th ed.). Existing programs align their policies and evidence to it.
- Adding a distant campus, which ARC-PA handles through its own application and fee (ARC-PA, Fees).
How IHS helps
Your institution decides to pursue accreditation and initiates it with ARC-PA. IHS works with your program team through these steps:
- A gap assessment of the program against the ARC-PA Standards, Sixth Edition, using questionnaires on governance, faculty, clinical sites and student policies.
- Document and evidence mapping: a crosswalk from each standard to the record that shows the program meets it.
- Drafting for your faculty and medical director to review and approve: governance and student policies, clinical site affiliation agreements and site oversight records, faculty file controls, and the self-study production plan.
- A mock review of the self-study before your program submits it, and drafted responses to findings for your program to submit.
- Readiness support while your team finishes the self-study and prepares for review.
What you supply: institutional eligibility records, the curriculum, faculty and medical director files, clinical site data, and PA educators.
The limit: curriculum, clinical preparation and competency assessment belong to your PA faculty and medical director. IHS does not write them. What IHS brings is a method: gap assessment, crosswalk, drafting of the program's administrative records, and mock review.
Independence from ARC-PA: ARC-PA states that its "policy prohibits the commission, site visitors or staff from providing consultation services or maintaining or recommending consultants" (ARC-PA, Developing Programs). IHS is not recommended by ARC-PA, and its work is independent of ARC-PA. IHS drafts; your program submits.
What to have ready
This is the list we would ask for first. Each item ties to ARC-PA's published text.
- One identified sponsor. "A single institution must be clearly identified as the sponsor of the program" (ARC-PA, Developing Programs).
- Evidence that the sponsor is "accredited by, and in good standing with, a recognized regional accrediting agency" and is "authorized by that agency to confer upon graduates of the PA program a graduate degree" (ARC-PA, Developing Programs).
- Evidence of authorization "under applicable law to provide a program of post-secondary education" (ARC-PA, Developing Programs).
- A first-class enrollment date set after a provisional decision, since programs "should not matriculate students until the program has been granted provisional accreditation" (ARC-PA, Developing Programs).
- Program plans and a resource allocation that, "if fully implemented as planned," show the program's ability to meet the Standards (ARC-PA, Accreditation Types and Review Cycle).
- Signed agreements with every institution involved in academic or clinical education, per Standard A1.01 of the Sixth Edition (ARC-PA Standards, 6th ed.).
- A clinical site plan that covers the emergency department, inpatient, outpatient and operating room settings named in Standard B3.04 (ARC-PA Standards, 6th ed.).
- The current Standards file with its 10/03/25 change notification, so your crosswalk reflects the revised C1.02 and the rescinded C1.03 (ARC-PA Standards, 6th ed.).
- A budget for ARC-PA's published fees, starting with the $2,000 eligibility fee and the $65,000 provisional application fee (ARC-PA, Fees).
- Room in the plan for the wait after a commission meeting: "Actions taken at commission meetings are usually communicated to programs within four to six weeks after the meeting" (ARC-PA, Developing Programs).
If most of this is in place, the introductory call is the place to start.
How it compares
| Route | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Entry-level PA program accreditation (ARC-PA) | Reviewed against the Accreditation Standards for PA Education, Sixth Edition; new programs enter through Accreditation-Provisional (ARC-PA Standards; ARC-PA). |
| Clinical postgraduate PA program accreditation (ARC-PA) | A separate track with its own standards: "Accreditation-Clinical Postgraduate Program is the status of accreditation granted when a new or currently accredited clinical postgraduate program is in compliance with the Standards for Clinical Postgraduate Programs" (ARC-PA). |
| Distant campus of an existing program (ARC-PA) | An expansion route for a program that already exists; ARC-PA lists a "Distant Campus Application Fee $7,500 for each Distant Campus application" (ARC-PA, Fees). |
We did not identify another accreditor for entry-level PA programs in the sources we reviewed. ARC-PA's statement that it "only accredits programs that educate PAs" describes its own scope; it does not by itself establish that no other body exists. Which route fits is your institution's decision.
What it costs
ARC-PA publishes its "ARC-PA Fee Structure As of May 1, 2026" (ARC-PA, Entry-level Accreditation Fees):
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Provisional Application Eligibility Fee (non-refundable) | $2,000 |
| Provisional Application Fee (non-refundable) | $65,000 |
| Annual Accreditation Maintenance Fee, 07.01.25 – 06.30.26 | $25,000 |
| Annual Accreditation Maintenance Fee, 07.01.26 – 06.30.27 | $28,000 |
| Annual Accreditation Maintenance Fee, 07.01.27 – 06.30.28 | $31,000 |
| Interval Assessment Fee (each category, including Provisional Monitoring and Final Provisional) | $10,000 |
| Distant Campus Application Fee (each application) | $7,500 |
ARC-PA adds: "Once awarded Accreditation – Provisional, the program will be billed a prorated Annual Accreditation Maintenance Fee for the current year" (ARC-PA, Fees). Verify current fees with ARC-PA.
IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.
What this is not
- IHS is not an accrediting body, is not recommended by ARC-PA, and does not grant, influence or predict an ARC-PA decision.
- IHS does not submit the application or self-study to ARC-PA or correspond with ARC-PA on your behalf. IHS drafts; your program submits.
- This page is not legal advice or PA education advice. Curriculum, clinical preparation and competency assessment belong to your PA faculty and medical director.
Frequently asked questions
How does a university start a new physician assistant program and get ARC-PA accreditation?
The sponsoring institution initiates the process, and the program must demonstrate its compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. A new program applies for Accreditation-Provisional, which ARC-PA grants when the program's plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented, appear to show it can meet the Standards. ARC-PA says programs should not matriculate students until provisional accreditation is granted.
What is ARC-PA Accreditation-Provisional and when can we enroll our first class?
Accreditation-Provisional is the status ARC-PA grants to a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students, based on its plans and resource allocation. ARC-PA states that programs should not matriculate students until the program has been granted provisional accreditation. The status is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.
What changed in the ARC-PA Standards, Sixth Edition, effective September 1, 2025?
The Sixth Edition was first published August 18, 2025 and took effect September 1, 2025. The current Standards file lists change notifications dated 8/15/2025, 8/27/25 and 10/03/25. The 10/03/25 notification added a Preamble, revised Standard C1.02 to remove the requirement for graduates, and rescinded Standard C1.03.
How much does ARC-PA accreditation cost a new PA program?
ARC-PA's fee structure as of May 1, 2026 lists a $2,000 non-refundable Provisional Application Eligibility Fee and a $65,000 non-refundable Provisional Application Fee. The Annual Accreditation Maintenance Fee is $25,000 for July 2025 through June 2026, rising to $28,000 and then $31,000 in the following two years, and a newly provisional program is billed a prorated amount for the current year. Interval assessments are $10,000 for each category. Verify current fees with ARC-PA.
How long does it take to move from provisional to continued accreditation?
ARC-PA states that Accreditation-Provisional remains in effect until the program achieves Accreditation-Continued after its third review. Provisional status is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. After that, programs are typically subject to comprehensive evaluation on a ten-year cycle.
What clinical rotation settings and affiliation agreements does ARC-PA require?
Standard B3.04 of the Sixth Edition states that supervised clinical practice experiences occur in the emergency department, inpatient, outpatient and operating room settings. Standard A1.01 requires that when more than one institution is involved in academic or clinical education, the terms are clearly described and documented in a manner signifying agreement by the involved institutions.
What must our sponsoring institution have in place to apply?
ARC-PA requires a single institution clearly identified as the sponsor. A sponsor applying for provisional accreditation must be authorized under applicable law to provide post-secondary education, accredited by and in good standing with a recognized regional accrediting agency, and authorized by that agency to confer a graduate degree on PA program graduates.
How are clinical postgraduate PA programs accredited differently from entry-level programs?
They are a separate ARC-PA track with their own standards. ARC-PA grants Accreditation-Clinical Postgraduate Program when a new or currently accredited clinical postgraduate program is in compliance with the Standards for Clinical Postgraduate Programs. This page covers entry-level programs.
Does ARC-PA recommend consultants?
No. ARC-PA states that its policy prohibits the commission, site visitors or staff from providing consultation services or maintaining or recommending consultants. IHS's work is independent of ARC-PA, and IHS is not recommended by ARC-PA.