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title: "ACEN Annual Report : General Information"
canonical: "https://resources.acenursing.org/space/ARI/1952710659/ACEN%20Annual%20Report%20%3A%20General%20Information"
format: markdown
---
# Introduction

## What is the Annual Report?

As stated in the ACEN Accreditation Manual Policy #24 - *Assessment of the Adequacy of Standards and Criteria, ACEN Process, and Practices, *the ACEN maintains an ongoing systematic review designed to ensure that:

 

1. the Standards and Criteria are valid and reliable indicators of the education quality provided by accredited programs and are relevant to the educational needs of students;
2. ACEN processes are reliable and assess knowledge and consistency of observations, applications, decisions, and perceptions; and
3. there are broad communications and consultations across constituencies.


The findings from the ongoing review are used for development, maintenance, and revision of the ACEN Accreditation Standards and Criteria, processes, and practices. Evidence to support ongoing systematic review appears in Commission minutes, annual reports, the *ACEN Report to Constituents*, on the ACEN website, and at the ACEN Forums.

All accredited programs are required to submit an Annual Report. **Report information will be requested by overall program, and also by program option in some cases.**

The Annual Report will request, at a minimum, the following information:

1. Governing Organization Information and Characteristics;
2. Program Location(s);
3. Substantive change information;
4. Enrollment figures;
5. Licensure examination pass rate(s) (where applicable);
6. Certification examination pass rate(s) (where applicable);
7. On-time Completion Rate;
8. Job placement rate;
9. Faculty numbers and credentials;
10. Operations data;
11. Program length;
12. Clinical hours; and
13. Innovation

 

ACEN staff will review the information to ensure that programs continue to comply with policies and reporting requirements. Significant changes will be referred to the ACEN Board of Commissioners, and action may be taken as appropriate. Failure to submit the Annual Report could result in the ACEN Board of Commissioners taking appropriate action, including altering the program’s accreditation status.

 

**Per Policy #7 failure to submit the Annual Report is a form of voluntary withdrawal as the completion and submission of the Annual Report is a requirement of accreditation**

 

Data are compiled by the individual programs for monitoring purposes and reported in aggregate form trended over time. Programs with Title IV-HEA responsibilities must also submit information regarding compliance with their Title IV responsibilities and the result of financial or compliance audits.


# Timelines & Process

The ACEN Annual Report launches every year in mid-October and is due two weeks later.

Below is a table showing the key dates related to the Annual Report for the next several years:

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
| Annual Report Launch Date | October 13, 2025 | October 12, 2026 | October 11, 2027 | October 16, 2028 |
| Time Period | July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025 | July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 | July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 | July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2028 |
| Due Date | October 24, 2025 | October 23, 2026 | October 22, 2027 | October 27, 2028 |
| Acceptance Notice / Request for Substantive Change | 2/28/2026 | 2/28/2027 | 2/28/2028 | 2/28/2029 |
| Report to Constituents Published | June 2026 | June 2027 | June 2028 | June 2029 |