CoARC accreditation is programmatic accreditation of a respiratory care education program by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care, measured against CoARC's Accreditation Standards for Entry into Respiratory Care Professional Practice or the standards for its Degree Advancement or Advanced Practice track. It is for colleges and other sponsors that run or plan to start a respiratory therapy program. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) builds your CoARC crosswalk, workplan and records; your respiratory care faculty own the clinical curriculum.

Last reviewed: October 2026. CoARC's home, process, standards and fee pages and NBRC's respiratory therapist examination page were read on October 2, 2026.

What is CoARC accreditation?

CoARC states its scope this way: it "accredits Entry into Professional Practice respiratory care programs at the Associate, Baccalaureate, and Master's degree levels, as well as post-professional Degree Advancement respiratory care programs at the Baccalaureate and Master's degree levels and Advanced Practice respiratory care programs at the graduate level" (CoARC).

The governing text for an entry-level program is the "Accreditation Standards for Entry into Respiratory Care Professional Practice." Two versions are posted on CoARC's Entry into Professional Practice standards page:

• The standards in effect now, in the file dated 1.1.2022 and updated 3.24 (CoARC Entry Standards, 1.1.2022, updated 3.24).
• The "2027 Accreditation Standards for Entry into Respiratory Care Professional Practice," effective January 1, 2027 (CoARC 2027 Entry Standards).

CoARC publishes separate standards for Degree Advancement and Advanced Practice programs, listed on its accreditation pages. This page covers the entry-level process in most detail.

CoARC's process overview sets the sequence for a new program:

1. "To initiate the accreditation process, the sponsoring institution submits a Letter of Intent Application and required supplementary information."
2. "The Board will either grant, defer, or deny Approval of Intent."
3. "Following the Approval of Intent, the program submits a Provisional Accreditation Self-Study Report (PSSR)."
4. Provisional Accreditation, which "denotes a developmental program, in which assurances are expected to be provided that the program may become accredited as programmatic experiences are gained."
5. "No later than six (6) months following the deadline date of the Annual Report of Current Status showing three (3) reporting years of outcomes data, the program submits a Continuing Self-Study Report (CSSR)."

After that, "Every accredited base program must have its status reaffirmed no more than five (5) years after Continuing Accreditation is initially conferred" (CoARC process overview).

Who needs it and what triggers it

The buyer is the sponsor of a respiratory care program: a college, university or other institution that offers or plans to offer the degree. Three situations bring a sponsor to this work.

• Starting a program. The Letter of Intent Application opens the process, and the PSSR follows Approval of Intent (CoARC process overview).
• Moving from Provisional to Continuing Accreditation. The CSSR is due within six months of the Annual Report deadline that shows three reporting years of outcomes data (CoARC process overview).
• Keeping accreditation current. Reaffirmation comes no more than five years after Continuing Accreditation is first conferred, and the 2027 entry standards take effect January 1, 2027 (CoARC standards page).

Graduate exam eligibility is one reason programs pursue it. NBRC's respiratory therapist examination page names "graduates of, and hold a minimum of an associate degree from, an entry-into-practice respiratory therapy education program supported or accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)" (NBRC RT examinations).

How IHS helps

IHS works from your copy of the CoARC standards for your program's track. The process:

1. Gap assessment. IHS compares your program documents and records against the CoARC standards and lists what is missing. For work that runs into 2027, the assessment covers the 2027 entry standards too.
2. Questionnaires and crosswalk. Short questionnaires on clinical affiliations, faculty and outcomes feed a standards crosswalk that maps each standard to the document or record that shows it is met.
3. Drafted documents. IHS drafts affiliation agreement templates, faculty and student record controls, outcome review procedures and the accreditation workplan for your program director and faculty to review and approve.
4. Mock review. Before submission, IHS reads the PSSR or CSSR draft and its evidence against the standards and lists what is thin or missing.
5. Readiness support. When CoARC returns findings, IHS drafts responses for your program to approve and submit.

What you supply: the standards, your curriculum, clinical affiliate data, faculty files, outcome data, and the respiratory care educators who teach and assess.

The limit: clinical curriculum and competency decisions stay with your respiratory care educators. IHS supplies structure and evidence, not respiratory care expertise. All CoARC filings and contact are your program's; IHS drafts. More on IHS's approach is on the accreditation consulting page.

What to have ready

• Your copy of the entry standards in effect, the file dated 1.1.2022 and updated 3.24 (CoARC Entry Standards).
• Your copy of the 2027 entry standards, effective January 1, 2027, if your timeline crosses that date (CoARC 2027 Entry Standards).
• The CoARC standards for your track if it is Degree Advancement or Advanced Practice, since CoARC accredits both (CoARC).
• For a new program, the "Letter of Intent Application and required supplementary information" (CoARC process overview).
• A PSSR outline and timeline that starts after Approval of Intent (CoARC process overview).
• Your clinical affiliate list and the agreements behind it, which IHS uses for the gap assessment.
• Faculty files for the program's educators, which IHS uses for the same gap assessment.
• Outcomes data by reporting year, since the CSSR is triggered by the Annual Report of Current Status "showing three (3) reporting years of outcomes data" (CoARC process overview).
• The date Continuing Accreditation was conferred, to count the five-year reaffirmation limit (CoARC process overview).
• A budget line for CoARC's published fees, including the annual fee and the site visit fee (CoARC accreditation fees).

To go through the list with IHS, book the introductory call below.

How it compares

The routes below are described as the sources describe them.

What it costs

CoARC publishes its own fees (CoARC accreditation fees, read October 2, 2026). For a single-sponsor base program:

Sources: the 2026 column of the 2024-2026 Fee Schedule and the 2027-2029 Fee Schedule. Verify current fees with CoARC. IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• CoARC, not IHS, makes accreditation decisions. IHS does not grant, predict or influence them.
• IHS does not contact, submit to or speak for your program to CoARC or the NBRC. IHS drafts; your program submits.
• IHS does not design respiratory care curriculum, teach, or assess student competency, and this page is not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

What does CoARC accreditation mean for a respiratory therapy program?

It is programmatic accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. CoARC accredits Entry into Professional Practice programs at the associate, baccalaureate and master's levels, post-professional Degree Advancement programs at the baccalaureate and master's levels, and Advanced Practice programs at the graduate level. Accreditation is granted to the program, measured against the CoARC standards for its track.

Do our graduates need a CoARC-accredited program to take the NBRC respiratory therapist exams?

NBRC's respiratory therapist examination page describes eligible candidates as graduates of, holding at least an associate degree from, an entry-into-practice respiratory therapy education program supported or accredited by CoARC. Check NBRC's current eligibility rules for each candidate's situation before relying on this summary.

How do we start a new respiratory therapy program with CoARC?

The sponsoring institution starts by submitting a Letter of Intent Application with the required supplementary information. The CoARC Board then grants, defers or denies Approval of Intent. After Approval of Intent, the program submits a Provisional Accreditation Self-Study Report (PSSR).

What is Provisional Accreditation?

CoARC describes Provisional Accreditation as the status of a developmental program, where assurances are expected that the program may become accredited as it gains programmatic experience. The CoARC pages we reviewed place the PSSR after Approval of Intent and describe Provisional Accreditation as a developmental status; they do not state in the lines we reviewed which step confers it. The CoARC pages we reviewed for this page do not set out enrollment timing, so confirm with CoARC's current policies when your first cohort may start.

How long until a new program reaches Continuing Accreditation?

The Continuing Self-Study Report (CSSR) is tied to outcomes data. CoARC requires the CSSR no later than six months after the deadline of the Annual Report of Current Status that shows three reporting years of outcomes data. The total time therefore depends on when your cohorts start and graduate.

How often is CoARC accreditation reaffirmed?

CoARC states that every accredited base program must have its status reaffirmed no more than five years after Continuing Accreditation is first conferred. Plan the next self-study cycle from that date.

How much does CoARC accreditation cost, including site visits?

CoARC publishes its fees. For a single-sponsor base program in 2026, the schedule lists $3,650 for the Letter of Intent Application, $2,950 for the PSSR, $2,275 for the CSSR, a $3,075 annual fee and $2,500 for a virtual site visit. The 2027 schedule raises the Letter of Intent, PSSR, CSSR and annual fees; its standard site visit fee for a base program (2 site visitors) is $3,600. Verify current fees with CoARC.

What changes with the 2027 CoARC Entry into Professional Practice standards?

CoARC has published 2027 Accreditation Standards for Entry into Respiratory Care Professional Practice, effective January 1, 2027. This page does not summarize the changes. A gap assessment compares your program against both the standards in effect now and the 2027 text, so work started in 2026 carries forward.

Can we add a bachelor's degree advancement track?

CoARC accredits post-professional Degree Advancement programs at the baccalaureate and master's levels, and it publishes separate standards for them. Those standards are scoped on their own, apart from the entry-into-practice standards.

Do we need outside help to write a PSSR?

The PSSR is the program's own submission, filed after Approval of Intent. Outside help is a choice, not a CoARC step. IHS builds the crosswalk, workplan and records; your respiratory care faculty own the clinical curriculum and sign off on everything submitted.