How long does ABET accreditation take?
For a first program at an institution new to an ABET commission, about two years pass between the Readiness Review and the final decision, and the program must already have graduates. Here is every step, with ABET’s deadlines.
Before you start
- The program must have had at least one graduate within the two academic years before the on-site review.
- It needs documented objectives and Student Outcomes, and assessment results to report: plan at least a year or two of assessment before the review.
- An institution with no ABET-accredited programs in the commission must pass a Readiness Review first.
The deadlines
| Step | Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Readiness Review request | August 15, the year before the Request for Evaluation | Online form; only for institutions new to the commission. |
| Readiness Review report and transcript | September 1, the same year | One report per program, with one official transcript of a recent graduate. Invoiced in October. |
| Request for Evaluation (RFE) | January 31 of the review year | Signed by the chief executive; one per commission. It can be changed or withdrawn until the July Commission meeting. |
| Self-Study Report | July 1 of the review year | In English, one per program. |
| On-site review | September to December | Usually three days, by a team chair and program evaluators. |
| Response to the Draft Statement | 30 days after receiving it | The institution’s due-process response, with any corrective actions. |
| Final decision | By August 31 of the following year | The commission’s action and the Final Statement. |
A worked example
A university with no ABET-accredited engineering programs wants its first EAC review in the autumn of 2028.
- 01August–September 2027
Readiness Review: request by August 15, report and transcript by September 1.
- 02January 31, 2028
Request for Evaluation submitted.
- 03July 1, 2028
Self-Study Report submitted.
- 04September–December 2028
On-site review.
- 05After the review
Draft Statement received; the institution has 30 days to respond.
- 06By August 31, 2029
Final accreditation decision.
The assessment evidence in the July 2028 Self-Study Report has to be collected in the terms before it, so in practice preparation starts in 2026 or earlier.
After accreditation
Accredited programs are reviewed comprehensively at intervals of no more than six years. A program with no deficiencies or weaknesses receives a Next General Review action, typically for six years; others may be asked for an interim report or an interim visit sooner.
Academix is built for the whole period: the evidence is collected term by term, readiness shows what is outstanding for each criterion, and the Self-Study Report is generated when July comes.
More ABET guides
- What is ABET accreditation?
- ABET Student Outcomes, by commission
- Performance indicators for ABET Student Outcomes
- ABET Criterion 4: continuous improvement
- How much does ABET accreditation cost?
- How to choose ABET accreditation software
Last reviewed: 2026-09-26. Academix is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ABET.