THE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ENTERPRISE EDUCATION (ACEEE), INSTITUTE OF CLASSIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP (ICEnt)

...Accrediting for entrepreneurial excellence and leadership

...THE ACCREDITATION DIVISION OF INSTITUTE OF CLASSIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP (ICENT) AND ACCREDITED MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF QUALITY STANDARDS
(Africa’s first ISO 9001:2015 Certified and ISO/IEC 17011:2017 and ISO 17040:2005 Accredited Quality Assurance Body)

DIVISIONAL ACCREDITATION

Divisional accreditation focuses on the microcosm of an academic unit (individual faculty, department, school and centre) to strengthen its role within the institution and in its surroundings. ACEEE’s Divisional Accreditation allows single academic units in tertiary institutions, including faculties, schools departments and centres, to showcase to students, tertiary institution stakeholders, industry stakeholders and society their unwavering dedication to entrepreneurship and enterprise education.

The objectives, process and standards of divisional ACEEE accreditation are aligned to institutional ACEEE accreditation, providing a coherent system for higher education institutions. On the following pages, we provide you with all details for divisional accreditation and point to the main differences between ACEEE's two accreditation levels.

ACCREDITATION PROCESS

Going through main 4-step journey, divisional accreditation is a comprehensive undertaking supported by more than 40 experts from tertiary institution leadership, academia and industry. ACEEE's divisional accreditation process follows the same 4 phases and 20 steps as institutional accreditation.

ACEEE accreditation follows a four-phase process, including application, self-evaluation, peer visit, and final evaluation, with each phase having a variety of steps to be undertaken.

ACEEE provides a detailed 20-step journey that leaves no stone unturned. The journey will allow you to take a closer look at noteworthy achievements, but will also reveal weak spots that need to be improved to achieve a true engaged and entrepreneurial academic division.

The accreditation process of academic divisions follows the same 20-step process as ACEEE's institutional accreditation. Please click on the buttons below to find out more about the individual steps within each phase. For more detailed information, please refer to the ACEEE Process Manual.

4 phases with 20 clearly defined steps

PHASE 1

Step 1: Information Procurement

  • Before applying for eligibility, interested academic units inform themselves about the accreditation focus, its procedure, standards and policies, and contact the ACEEE Office in case of questions

Step 2: Eligibility Application

  • The tertiary institution applies for eligibility through the Eligibility Application Page

Step 3: Eligibility Review

  • The chair/vice-chairs of the Accreditation Council review the application and inform the academic unit about the result.

Step 4: Signing of the Contract

  • Being declared eligible, the academic unit signs the accreditation agreement.

Step 5: Payment of Application Fee

  • The academic unit pays the non-refundable application fee.

PHASE 2

Step 6: Appointment of Accreditation Committee

  • The chair/vice-chairs of the Accreditation Council appoint an Accreditation Committee.

Step 7: Accreditation Committee Challenge

  • Within 30 days of receipt of the appointed committee, the applicant has the right to challenge any committee member by pointing out actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Step 8: Self-Evaluation

  • The applicant completes a self-evaluation report and submits it through ACEEE’s Application Management System

Step 9: Initial Evaluation Report

  • Based on the submitted self-evaluation report, the Accreditation Committee members prepare an Initial Evaluation Report.

PHASE 3

Step 10: Payment of Peer Review Fee

  • The academic unit pays the non-refundable peer review fee.

Step 11: Appointment of Peer Review Team

  • The chair of the Accreditation Committee appoints a Peer Review Team that will visit the applicant.

Step 12: Peer Review Team Challenge

  • The applicant has the right to challenge any team member by pointing out actual or potential conflicts of interest.

Step 13: Peer Review Visit Planning

  • All stakeholders plan the visit, including the setting of a schedule and the arrangement of travel logistics.

Step 14: Peer Review Visit

  • The Peer Review Team visits the applicant for one to two full days (usually one day for single accreditation and 1.5 for dual accreditation).

Step 15: Peer Review Report

  • The Peer Review Team prepares a Peer Review Report that is shared with the applicant.

Step 16: Position Statement on Peer Review Report

  • The applicant can hand in a position statement in which it comments and/or provides evidence on factual inaccuracies.

PHASE 4

Step 17: Final Evaluation Report

  • The Accreditation Committee prepares a Final Evaluation Report based on all documented material.

Step 18: Position Statement on Final Evaluation Report

  • The applicant can hand in a statement in which it comments on the Final Evaluation Report and/or provides evidence on factual inaccuracies.

Step 19: Final Evaluation

  • The chair/vice-chairs of the Accreditation Council review all documented materials in order to ensure the consistent application of the set procedure and standards. In case the chair does not observe any breach of the ACEEE procedure and standards and does not hold any objections against the recommendation of the Accreditation Committee, the Accreditation Council adopts the recommendation.

Step 20: Publication

  • Should the applicant be granted ACEEE accreditation, the ACEEE Office will publish the Final Evaluation Report on the ACEEE website.

ACCREDITATION STANDARDS

ACEEE's thorough accreditation process is based on standards that have been developed by world-leading experts in the field of entrepreneurship and enterprise education in higher education ecosystems.

The list below presents an overview of the 5 dimensions and 15 standards that form the basis of ACEEE's assessment.

ACEEE provides a detailed 20-step journey that leaves no stone unturned. The journey will allow you to take a closer look at noteworthy achievements, but will also reveal weak spots that need to be improved to achieve a true engaged and entrepreneurial academic division.

For more information, please refer to the ACEEE Standards and Guidelines document that can be found on the Download Documents and Forms page.

Dimension 1

Orientation and Strategy

• Institutional Commitment
• Shared Goals
• Financial Planning

Dimension 2:

People and Organisational Capacity

• Leadership
• Staff profile
• Incentives and rewards

Dimension 3:

Drivers and Enablers

• Culture
• Internal Support Structures
• Service Alignment

Dimension 4:

Education, Research and Third Mission Activities

• Education
• Research
• Third Mission Activities

Dimension 5:

Innovation and impact

• Continuous improvement
• Influence within the Ecosystem
• Impact Activities

ELIGIBILITY AND FEES

Interested organisations are requested to submit an eligibility application for ACEEE to determine if the institution is eligible to pursue ACEEE accreditation.

Having acquired necessary information from our website and the office, your first stop in your ACEEE accreditation journey is ascertaining your eligibility.

To ensure that tertiary institutions meet the essential prerequisites to undergo the complex ACEEE accreditation process, please make sure to provide us with the information as outlined below.

Criteria and documents

Eligibility

To be considered eligible, a tertiary institution needs to have:

COMMITMENT - highlight a true commitment to entrepreneurship and/or engagement and have a reasonable prospect of satisfying the ACEEE standards within two years of being declared eligible

AUTONOMY - have reasonable autonomy in order to develop and implement strategies, structures, policies and operational activities fostering entrepreneurship and/or engagement

INSTITUTIONAL STABILITY - demonstrate sufficient institutional stability

TRANSPARENT STRUCTURE - ACEEE accreditation is based on a transparent fee structure that takes into account the different steps of the accreditation process. The applicant institution is required to provide (1) a request for accreditation letter, and (2) an eligibility datasheet.

For more information and the documents required for an eligibility application, please refer to the ACEEE Application Package. Eligibility applications can be found on the Download Documents and Forms page.

INITIAL ACCREDITATION FEE

Single accreditation

The total fee for single accreditation is N4.5M with the single fees being:
• Application fee: N1.5M
• Peer review fee: N3M

Dual accreditation

The total fee for dual accreditation is N7.5M with the single fees being:
• Application fee: N2.5MM
• Peer review fee: N5M

Please note that a combined fee can be paid (i.e. should an institution plan to pay the fee from a project budget). Contact us for more information on payment options.

For more information, please refer to the ACEEE Process Manual. Please note that applicant institutions are also required to cover travel and accommodation for the Peer Review Team members that will visit the institution, in accordance with ACEEE's Travel and Reimbursable Expenses Policy.

YEARLY MEMBERSHIP FEE

Accredited institutions are required to pay a yearly membership fee for the services continuously provided by ACEEE. The fee covers membership services such as access to good practices and tools, and the free attendance for one person to one of ACEEE's partner conferences, and helps to promote ACEEE around the globe.

Yearly fee: N650,000.

RE-ACCREDITATION FEE

Institutions are required to apply for re-accreditation every 5 years, with the costs being:
- Single accreditation N3M
- Dual accreditation N5M

Plus travel and accommodation for the Peer Review Team members that will visit the institution

Deadlines & Application Documents and Forms

ACEEE accreditation documents will help you navigate a complex maze of accreditation in a simple, authentic and meaningful manner, providing a dedicated support and allowing you to learn and grow throughout the entire process.

ACEEE's Application documents and forms provide an overview of the central documents required for each accreditation, including the documents needed for the initial eligibility application.

Deadlines

ACEEE offers four deadlines per year to ensure a timely review of your application.
JANUARY 27 | APRIL 27 | JULY 27 | OCTOBER 27 | JANUARY 27

APPLY NOW

Eligibility application

Many thanks for your interest in ACEEE accreditation. Before your accreditation procedure can be initiated, your institution needs to submit an eligibility application.

Please visit our Download Documents and Forms page to access the central accreditation documents (e.g. ACEEE's Process Manual, Standards, and Policies) as well as those documents you need to provide as part of the eligibility application..

Deadlines

ACEEE offers four deadlines per year to ensure a timely review of your application.
JANUARY 27 | APRIL 27 | JULY 27 | OCTOBER 27 | JANUARY 27

Eligibility application

Submit your documents

To apply for eligibility, please follow the procedure below:
• Fill out the Eligibility Datasheet (to be provided in MS Word format, e.g. .doc or .docx)
• Fill out, date and sign the Request for Accreditation letter (to be provided in PDF format)
• Send an email to aceeeaccreditation@homeofentrepreneurship.com (CC to aceeechair@homeofentrepreneurship.com), containing the above two files. Please use the following subject for the email: ACEEE Eligiblity Application of [Name of your tertiary institution]
• We will confirm the receipt of your application via email

Any questions or concerns?

Please contact us and we are happy: aceee@homeofentrepreneurship.com

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  • ABOUT ACEEE

    The Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Education (ACEEE) is the only African quality assurance body with a focus entrepreneurship and enterprise education in formal and non-formal education. As such, ACEEE strives to lead the way in a new era for higher education through evaluating, supporting and igniting the potential of tertiary institutions on their road to third mission excellence.

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