The ACPE Standards

The Accreditation Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE), the pharmacy school accreditation agency, is required by the U.S. Secretary of Education to require its pharmacy programs to record and handle student complaints regarding a school’s adherence to the ACPE Standards. ACPE must demonstrate a link between its review of complaints and its evaluation of a program in the accreditation process. Therefore, in order to demonstrate compliance with U.S. Department of Education Criteria for Recognition, and with the prior review and advice of Department of Education personnel, ACPE requires pharmacy schools to provide an opportunity for pharmacy students to provide comments and/or complaints about the school’s adherence to ACPE’s Standards. The colleges and schools of pharmacy accredited by ACPE have an obligation to respond to any written complaints by students lodged against the college or school of pharmacy, or the pharmacy program that are related to the standards and the policies and procedures of ACPE. Any student who wishes to file a complaint may visit the ACPE website and follow the Professional Programs link: http://www.acpe-accredit.org to access the standards and the procedures for filing a complaint.