CEA policies and procedures and its review process are based on U.S. Department of Education requirements for recognized accrediting agencies and the good practices of education accrediting agencies. The CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions are the basis of the review process.

The steps in the process follow:

1. Application for eligibility: A site completes the application form and submits required documents, including curricular documents, a list of faculty and staff with training and experience, information about student services, and the administrative structure. CEA staff reviews the documentation to ensure that the program can be reviewed based on the areas of the CEA standards.
2. Workshop: CEA invites a site that meets eligibility requirements to attend an accreditation workshop. Participants learn more about the standards, receive guidance on how to complete the self-study report, and get an overview of the site visit and review for accreditation decision by the Commission. Workshops are typically held three times each year. In-person workshops are typically 2 full days, and workshops delivered virtually are typically comprised of 4 sessions of 3 hours each.
3. Self-study plan: Two months after the workshop, the site submits a plan for its self-study. The plan includes a timeline for the self-study, a target date for the site visit, a list of committees and members. CEA staff provides feedback on the plan.
4. Self-study report: The CEA self-study is a reflective activity. A site explains how it believes it meets each of the 44 CEA standards, documents compliance, evaluates how well it meets the standard, and recommends areas of improvement, if any. CEA provides a template for the report as well as requirements for submission.
5. Site visit: A three-person team reads the self-study report prior to conducting a 3-day onsite visit. The visit includes class visits, a tour of facilities, and interviews with administrators, faculty, and students in order to verify the contents of the self-study report. The team applies the CEA Standards in its review process. The review team report includes its findings related to each of the 44 CEA standards. The site receives the report and writes a response to the findings.
6. Review by the Commission: The 13-member CEA Commission uses the self-study report, the review team report, the response from the site, and a review of finances to make its accreditation decision. Grants of accreditation are described in Section 7: The Accreditation Decision.

The accreditation process promotes continuous improvement during the process of the self-study as well as through feedback throughout the process. Follow-up and annual reporting ensure that programs and language institutions foster continuous improvement throughout the period of accreditation.

For more information on the CEA accreditation process, see the CEA Policies and Procedures