Accreditation
| Academic Programs | WSCUC Accreditation | Specialty Accreditation |
|---|---|---|
| BS Psychology & Social Action | 2006 | |
| BS Business Psychology | 2009 | |
| MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 2011 | |
| MA Counseling: Marriage, Family and Child emphasis | 2011 | CACREP since 2017 |
| MA Counseling: Clinical Mental Health emphasis | 2011 | CACREP since 2017 |
| MS Psychology | 2000 | |
| PhD Clinical Psychology | 1986 | APA since 1988 |
| PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision | 2023 | |
| PAU-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium | 2002 | APA since 2006 |
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has developed a document titled The Value of Accreditation. This resource briefly addresses accreditation, how it works, and how it benefits both students and the public.
Regional Accreditation of the Institution
Palo Alto University (PAU) is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Questions or complaints related to Palo Alto University’s WSCUC accreditation status should be directed to:
WASC Senior College and University Commission
985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100
Alameda, CA 94501
www.wscuc.org/contact
510-748-9001
In addition, individuals who wish to file a complaint can also do so by contacting the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) at:
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95833
Telephone: (916) 431-6959
FAC: (916) 263-1897
www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint.shtml
Specialty Accreditation for Individual Programs
American Psychological Association (APA)
Each of PAU’s doctoral programs have been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)
- PhD program in Clinical Psychology since 1988
- PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium since 2006
In accordance with APA’s accreditation requirements, PAU maintains an updated IR C-20 for each doctoral program. This “APA data” provides a snapshot of program admissions, attrition, and student outcomes for the PhD and PsyD programs.
The most recent APA letters of accreditation for the PhD and PsyD programs are also available for review.
- PhD program: Awarded maximum length of accreditation (7 years) in the last accreditation cycle.
- PsyD program: Awarded maximum length of accreditation (10 years) in the last accreditation cycle.
Questions related to APA accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
Both of the emphases in the MA in Counseling program; MA in Counseling program; Marriage, Family and Child emphasis and Clinical Mental Health emphasis, have been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) since January 2017, when they were awarded 8 years of accreditation. Learn more about PAU's accreditation.
Questions related to CACREP accreditation status should be directed to:
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 535-5990
Fax: (703) 739-6209
Web: www.cacrep.org/contact/
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)
Palo Alto University is seeking Initial Institutional Approval by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). This approval would allow Palo Alto University to provide educator preparation programs, such as a program for the Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Social Work and School Counseling. Interested parties are invited to submit comments that may help to inform the CTC of substantive issues regarding this institution.
Submit comments to the CTC at input@ctc.ca.gov. Comments should specify the party's relationship to the institution (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates, or other relationships). All identifying information will remain confidential.
Palo Alto University submitted its Stage II Eligibility Report to CTC on September 24, 2024.
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
The MSW program is currently in pre-candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). Accreditation is typically a 3-year process. Students admitted to pre-candidate programs will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
Our pre-candidacy status indicates that we have received approval of Benchmark 1 from CSWE accreditation staff and are scheduled for a first candidacy review by the BOA.
Review our program’s pre-candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.