CAA Fees

Accreditation Handbook—Chapter IX: Financial Support of Accreditation

The CAA maintains an established fee schedule to support the operations of the accreditation program for applicant, candidate, and accredited graduate education programs. Application fees must be submitted at the time of application (payable to ASHA). Invoices for candidacy and initial accreditation site visits are sent at the time the site visit has been confirmed and are payable upon receipt. Annual fees are set on a calendar fiscal year and CAA-accredited and candidate programs are invoiced accordingly. The CAA reserves the right to collect all outstanding fees in the event the program has not been billed during the applicant, candidacy, and accreditation processes, as outlined in the Accreditation Handbook.

Renewal of accreditation status is dependent upon timely payment of annual accreditation fees by programs.

Review of Accreditation Fees

The CAA’s accreditation activities are funded by fees assessed to programs and by a subsidy from ASHA. In accordance with its policies and procedures (Accreditation Handbook, p.45), the CAA conducts a comprehensive review of its accreditation fee structure and budget planning over a 3– to 4–year horizon to ensure (a) the adequacy of its funding and (b) that CAA maintains its fiscal agreement with ASHA. As part of this process, if fee increases are recommended, the CAA provides opportunity for comment before approval and implementation. The comment period for the changes to the fee structure occured from April to May 2025.

Summary of Historical Increases in Accreditation Fees

• Substantive Change Fees: In 2024, an analysis of the fee structure determined that a fee increase was not necessary for programs with fewer than two satellite locations. In July 2025, the CAA approved the addition of two new fees effective January 1, 2026:
  • $2,000 substantive change application fee (per application, for distance education or satellite modalities only)
  • $484 annual fee for each CAA-approved satellite location
• Application Fees: Between 2014 and 2022, the CAA approved increases to application fees:
  • Candidacy application fee, effective January 1, 2015
  • Initial accreditation application fee, effective January 1, 2016
  • No changes for 2020 or 2023
• Site Visit Fees: In 2022, the CAA approved an increase for 2023; the last increase was in 2020.
• Annual Fees: In 2022, the CAA approved increases to annual fees for 2023; the last increase was in 2020.
• Notice of Intent Fee: This fee is assessed to developing programs to support pre-submission processes and was effective January 1, 2022. 

CAA Accreditation Fee Schedule

¹ If additional days or members are required, site visit fee will be adjusted accordingly. If additional site visits are required outside the routine accreditation, reaccreditation, or candidacy reviews, programs will be assessed an additional site visit fee.
² Includes reaccreditation site visit fee, prorated over the 5- or 8-year accreditation cycle.
³ Includes costs for additional site visit team member.
⁴ Includes costs for additional site visit team member. Institutions that have accredited programs in audiology and speech-language pathology with different accreditation cycles (e.g., 8 years and 5 years) will be charged the annual fee for the shorter cycle.
⁵ Candidacy annual fee does not include site visit fees; site visit fees are invoiced separately.