CAAHEP accreditation is programmatic accreditation granted by CAAHEP on the recommendation of a profession-specific Committee on Accreditation (CoA). This page covers the rehabilitation, therapeutic and wellness professions in the CAAHEP system: orthotics and prosthetics, exercise physiology, exercise science, personal fitness training, recreational therapy and kinesiotherapy. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) builds the self-study workplan and evidence records for your CAAHEP review; your faculty own curriculum and supervision.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

What is CAAHEP accreditation for these professions?

CAAHEP puts its standards at the center: "At the heart of the CAAHEP accreditation system are our nationally-recognized Standards and Guidelines." Each standards document addresses "discipline-specific requirements for training entry level practitioners," and standards are "reviewed at least every ten years" (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines). Revisions require "input from the communities of interest, a public open hearing, and approval by the Committee on Accreditation (CoA)" (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines).

The governing text is the Standards and Guidelines for your profession. CAAHEP's listing shows (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines):

CAAHEP's committees on accreditation page lists the CoA for each profession.

Who needs it and what triggers it

The buyers are colleges, hospital education departments and training organizations that run these programs. The triggers are a new program, a self-study for initial or continuing review, or a standards change, such as the kinesiotherapy revision now in force. The process steps CAAHEP publishes:

• The CoA leads. "Each Committee on Accreditation (CoA) in the CAAHEP system works directly with programs in its discipline throughout the accreditation process" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• The self-study. "The self-study report is completed by the program, and documents how the program meets each of the Standards as outlined in the Standards and Guidelines document for the applicable profession" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• The RAS form. "The program submits the RAS form electronically through the CAAHEP website within 30 days of submission of the self-study report to the Committee on Accreditation(CoA)" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• The Board decision. "The CAAHEP Board of Directors reviews all recommendations received from each of its CoAs and takes action on the recommendations at one of its six meetings per year (January, March, May, July, September, and November)" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• Elapsed time. "Data gathered on the CAAHEP accreditation process indicates the process takes 12-24 months to complete, once a program has submitted a self-study" (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs).

How IHS helps

This line groups distinct professions, and IHS scopes each one separately against its own standards. For each profession, IHS works with your team on:

1. A gap assessment against that profession's CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines, using questionnaires on field placements and assessment.
2. A standards-to-evidence index: each standard mapped to the record that shows the program meets it.
3. Drafting for your program director and faculty to approve: field placement documentation, assessment governance records, program evaluation procedures, and the self-study workplan.
4. A mock review of the draft self-study before your program submits it to the CoA.
5. Readiness support after review: drafted responses to CoA findings, for the program to approve and submit.

What you supply: the profession's Standards and Guidelines, the curriculum, placement data, outcome data, and a qualified program director.

The limit: curriculum and supervision stay with your faculty. Wellness programs such as personal fitness training sit far from IHS's healthcare base, and IHS brings a documentation and mock-review process, not expertise in these professions. The program, not IHS, deals with the CoA and CAAHEP.

What to have ready

This is the list we would ask for first, each item tied to what CAAHEP publishes.

• The current Standards and Guidelines for your profession, with its status on CAAHEP's listing (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines).
• For kinesiotherapy, the revised standards effective July 1, 2026, not the version effective through June 30, 2026 (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines).
• The name of your CoA from CAAHEP's committee list (CAAHEP, Committees on Accreditation).
• Evidence for each standard, since the self-study "documents how the program meets each of the Standards" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• A date for the RAS form, due within 30 days of submitting the self-study report to the CoA (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• A timeline that allows 12 to 24 months from self-study submission to completion (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs).
• The CAAHEP Board meeting calendar: January, March, May, July, September and November (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• A budget for the CAAHEP Accredited Program Fee, invoiced annually in May with an August 1 due date, plus your CoA's own fees (CAAHEP, Governing Documents; CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs).

If most of this is in place, the introductory call is the place to start.

How it compares

The pages we reviewed do not identify another programmatic accreditor for these professions, so this page does not compare one.

What it costs

CAAHEP publishes its own program fee (CAAHEP, Governing Documents):

• One program at a location: $660 per program (2026-2028), $726 per program (2029-2031).
• Five or more programs at a location: $220 per program (2026-2028).
• "Fees are invoiced annually in May with an August 1st due date."

Verify current fees with CAAHEP. The CoA fees are separate: "Each CoA sets its fees, which generally include application, annual, site visit, and other maintenance fees" (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs). We did not review the fee pages of NCOPE, CoAES or the recreational therapy and kinesiotherapy committees; ask each CoA for its current fee schedule.

IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not an accrediting body and does not grant, influence or predict a decision by a CoA or the CAAHEP Board.
• IHS does not submit the self-study or RAS form, and does not correspond with the CoA or CAAHEP for you. IHS drafts; your program submits.
• This page is not legal advice and does not address certification-exam eligibility or state licensure in these professions.

Frequently asked questions

Which CAAHEP committee accredits our exercise science, exercise physiology or personal fitness training program?

CAAHEP lists CoAES as the Committee on Accreditation for exercise physiology, exercise sciences and personal fitness training. Orthotics and prosthetics programs work with NCOPE. CAAHEP's committees on accreditation page lists the CoA for every profession, including recreational therapy and kinesiotherapy.

How long does CAAHEP initial accreditation take after we submit the self-study?

CAAHEP says its data indicate the process takes 12 to 24 months to complete once a program has submitted a self-study. The CAAHEP Board acts on CoA recommendations at one of six meetings a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November.

What is a Request for Accreditation Services and when do we file it?

The RAS form is the program's request to CAAHEP. The program submits it electronically through the CAAHEP website within 30 days of submitting the self-study report to the Committee on Accreditation.

How much does CAAHEP accreditation cost per year?

CAAHEP's Accredited Program Fee is $660 per program for one program at a location for 2026 to 2028, falling to $220 per program for five or more programs at a location. It is invoiced annually in May with an August 1 due date. Each CoA also sets its own fees, which generally include application, annual, site visit and other maintenance fees; verify current fees with CAAHEP and your CoA.

What changed in the July 2026 kinesiotherapy standards?

CAAHEP lists revised kinesiotherapy standards, approved 3-20-26, as effective July 1, 2026, replacing standards effective through June 30, 2026. The CAAHEP listing we reviewed does not summarize the changes. A gap assessment against the revised text shows where a program's records need work.

Can one program with several concentrations be accredited under one fee?

The CAAHEP pages we reviewed bill per program at a location, with a lower per-program rate when a location has several programs, and they do not bill satellites or alternate locations a CAAHEP Accredited Program Fee. They do not address concentrations within one program. Ask your CoA how it treats concentrations.

Orthotics and prosthetics: how does NCOPE review fit with CAAHEP?

NCOPE is the Committee on Accreditation for orthotics and prosthetics in the CAAHEP system, and it also covers Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician and Orthotist and Prosthetist Assistant programs. Each CoA works directly with programs in its discipline, and the CAAHEP Board of Directors acts on the CoA's recommendation.