Accreditation is a status granted to an educational program that has been found to meet or exceed stated criteria of educational quality. Programs voluntarily seek accreditation, and it is conferred by an independent accrediting agency. 

Accreditation has two fundamental purposes: 

• to ensure the ongoing quality of the program, and 

• to encourage program improvement. 

Accreditation certifies to general public that the program 

• has appropriate purposes; 

• has the resources needed to accomplish its purposes; 

• can demonstrate that it is accomplishing its purposes; and 

• gives reason to believe it will continue to accomplish its purposes.

Accreditation provides both tangible and intangible benefits: 

• It certifies to the public and all stakeholders that a program meets or exceeds specific standards of quality; 

• It leads to development of credible and relevant standards that are informed by science and clinical experience, and that reflect the ongoing evolution of the field of professional Ayurvedic medicine.

• It encourages collaboration and cooperation among accredited programs to foster continuous improvement and excellence in Ayurvedic medicine education.

Briefly, the Commission’s organizational history is as follows:

• September 2018: The National Ayurvedic Medical Accreditation Council (NAMAC) was established by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA).

• August 2021: NAMAC was restructured as an independent organization, separate from NAMA.

• March 2023: NAMAC formally adopted the name Ayurvedic Accreditation Commission (AAC).

AAC has operated as an independent accrediting body since August 2021, first under the name NAMAC and, since 2023, as AAC.

No. AAC is an independent organization and is not a part of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA), the National Ayurvedic Medical Association Certification Board (NAMACB), or any other organization. Our agreement with NAMA and NAMACB provides for limited information sharing and collaboration where appropriate; it does not establish governance authority, oversight, or organizational control between AAC and NAMA or NAMACB.

No. AAC’s accreditation standards are based on the accreditation guidelines and requirements developed by NAMA/NAMACB.

Since becoming an independent organization, AAC has made a small number of programmatic policy updates, including:

• Lowering the in-person instructional hour requirement

• Discontinuing the use of the Ayurvedic Doctor (AD) title

However, AAC has not changed the core educational competencies and has not added new requirements to the original framework.

No. AAC does not set the guidelines for certification exams or administer certification exams. Certification is managed by professional certification organizations, in this case the National Ayurvedic Medical Association Certification Board (NAMACB).

Beginning in July 2026, NAMACB will require that students graduate from an AAC Candidate or Accredited program in order to sit for certification exams. This type of requirement is standard practice in many professional fields, where certification bodies require graduation from an accredited program.

A program seeking initial accreditation prepares an extensive self-study report. Once this report is reviewed by the Commission and accepted, the self-study is followed by a site visit by a team of peers selected by the Commission. Based on its findings, the team makes a recommendation to AAC regarding accreditation. Once accredited, a program is expected to comply with the accreditation standards on an on-going basis.

Programs follow an accreditation review cycle during which annual reports show continuous adherence to the standards.

There are no plans to do so.

AAC previously agreed not to modify competencies or core program requirements until the first cohort of programs has completed the accreditation process. 

More broadly, AAC does not consider the establishment of professional educational competencies to be within the sole authority of an accrediting body. Competency frameworks should be developed and periodically reviewed by a consortium of educational institutions and relevant stakeholders, using measures such as:

• Student learning outcomes

• Program completion and graduation rates

• Educational outcomes data and field research

AAC’s role is to evaluate programs for compliance with established standards, rather than to independently define professional competencies.

As the Commission pursues national recognition in the future, certain updates or adjustments may become necessary to maintain alignment with applicable recognition standards. No such changes are currently proposed or under consideration.

To learn more about the accreditation process, please read the AAC Accreditation Handbook and corresponding program-level compendiums. Contact us with any further questions or inquiries.