What Is CACREP Accreditation? How It Works and How to Check a Program

CACREP, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, is the accreditor most counseling programs point to when they describe their quality and their path toward licensure. Knowing what CACREP accreditation does and does not cover will help you read program pages accurately and avoid two common mistakes: assuming a whole university is "CACREP-accredited," and assuming accreditation guarantees a license.

What CACREP accredits

CACREP is a specialized accreditor. It describes its scope as master's and doctoral degree programs "in counseling and its specialties," offered in the United States and abroad. CACREP notes that it is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

At the master's level, CACREP accredits specific specialized practice areas: addiction, career, clinical mental health, clinical rehabilitation, college counseling and student affairs, marriage, couple and family counseling, rehabilitation, and school counseling. At the doctoral level it accredits counselor education and supervision. You can see how these specialties map to programs in our directory on the specialties overview.

To be accredited, a program is reviewed against the 2024 CACREP Standards. A few examples of what they require of entry-level (master's) programs:

• Length. Entry-level degrees require "a minimum of 60 semester credit hours or 90 quarter credit hours"

of all students.

• Faculty. At least three full-time core counselor education faculty who teach in the entry-level program.
• Curriculum. A foundational counseling curriculum plus specialty content for each specialized practice area.
• Fieldwork. A supervised practicum of at least 100 hours and, after it, a 600-hour internship, with

minimum direct-service hours and weekly supervision. Our guide to practicum and internship placements covers the details.

• All delivery formats. Programs must show they meet the standards for every delivery type they offer,

including online.

Accreditation belongs to a program, not a university

This is the point most often misread. CACREP states plainly that "it is the degree-specific program that holds accreditation, not the department or college in which it is housed." The same university may have an accredited clinical mental health counseling program and an unaccredited one in another specialty, or an accredited campus program and a separately listed online version.

CACREP also distinguishes two layers of accreditation:

• Institutional accreditation reviews the whole college or university. CACREP requires it as a condition

of eligibility.

• Specialized accreditation, such as CACREP's, reviews a professional preparation program inside the

institution.

So a university's regional or national institutional accreditation tells you nothing on its own about whether a particular counseling degree is CACREP-accredited. Look for the exact program, specialty and format.

Program pages vary in how precisely they say this. Messiah University, for example, states that "All of Messiah's M.A. counseling degree tracks are nationally accredited by CACREP" and that its accreditation "has been extended until 2028." William & Mary describes its M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling – Relationship, Marriage & Family as "Built upon a CACREP-accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling curriculum." Wording like the second example is a reason to check the directory listing for that exact specialization rather than assume.

How to check the CACREP directory

CACREP's directory offers three separate searches:

1. Currently accredited programs — the search most applicants need.
2. Current and previously accredited programs — used to verify whether someone graduated from an

accredited program, for example by a licensing board or employer.

1. Programs with new applications in process — programs that have applied and are under review.

CACREP calls its directory "the key guide for students" and says it has "the most accurate and up to date information about our accredited programs." When you check, match the institution, degree, specialty and delivery type. If you need a fully online option, CACREP's own advice is to contact the program liaison listed in the directory, because an online pathway can still include in-person components.

In our directory (October 2026), 191 of the 235 programs we list are matched to a CACREP directory listing (methodology). You can browse them on our CACREP accreditation page or filter to CACREP-accredited online programs.

Why licensing boards and employers care

Counselor licensure is controlled by each state board, and requirements change. CACREP's student FAQ makes several claims about how boards treat its graduates:

• graduates of CACREP-accredited programs "meet the educational requirements for licensing in most states and

receive an expedited review of the educational requirement for licensure";

• CACREP is named in the licensing law or regulations in most states;
• graduation from a CACREP-accredited program is a licensure requirement in Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and

Florida (Florida since July 1, 2025, per CACREP);

• the Veterans Administration requires a CACREP-accredited degree for its two counselor position paths.

CACREP is equally direct about the limits. Asked whether graduating from an accredited program guarantees a license, its answer is "No." Education is only one requirement; boards typically add an exam, a background check and a jurisprudence exam. The National Board for Certified Counselors notes that its National Counselor Examination (NCE) "is a requirement for counselor licensure in many states," and that each state board decides who may sit for it.

Check two things before you enroll: the board rules in the state where you plan to practice, and the program's own professional licensure disclosure.

What "in process" means

Programs sometimes describe themselves as "in process" or "seeking accreditation." CACREP warns that the phrase can mean two different things: a program preparing to apply, or one that has already applied and is under review. Only the second shows up in the directory's in-process search.

According to CACREP:

• review usually takes "about 15-18 months" from application to a Board decision;
• graduates count as graduates of an accredited program if they received the degree within 18 months before

accreditation was granted and completed the program of study that was accredited;

• a program at risk of losing accreditation must notify students and submit a teach-out plan or help them

transfer.

Enrolling in a program that is not yet accredited is a real risk if your state requires a CACREP degree. Ask the program where it is in the process and confirm it in the directory.

A quick checklist

• Find the exact program (specialty, degree, campus or online) in CACREP's current directory.
• Note the accreditation end date and any reports due.
• Read the program's licensure disclosure for your state.
• Confirm the education, exam and supervision rules with your state board.
• Compare accredited options on our rankings of counseling master's programs,

which are editorial selections, not guarantees.