Undergraduate Certification Timeline - Candidacy 2026
General Information
Starting in 2026, programs interested in pursuing initial undergraduate certification will be required to first enter into candidacy status to ensure they are ready for this rigorous peer-review process.
These programs will declare their intent to stand for candidacy in January 2026. Those that enter candidacy status in 2026 may then declare their intent to stand for initial certification in January 2027 (at the earliest) for review year 2027-2028.
Programs who enter candidacy status in January 2026 may wait up to January 2029 (for review year 2029-2030) to declare their intent to stand for initial certification. Any program that does not declare their intent to stand for initial certification by January 2029 will need to renew their candidacy status at that time.
For more details on this process, please consult the following document:
Criteria
The Undergraduate Certification criteria can be found below:
Sample Reports
Below is the sample Candidacy Eligibility Survey. When a program wants to stand for candidacy, they complete and submit this item via an online portal. AUPHA provides this sample so programs can see the questions asked and prepare in advance. Submissions of these items are only accepted via the online portal.
Blank Tables and Worksheets
Eligibility Worksheets - Worksheets embedded in the Candidacy Status Eligibility Survey