Office Recognition and Accreditation
PAU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (ACS WASC) 533 Airport Boulevard, Suite 200, Burlingame, CA 94010, tel: (650) 696-1060; email: mail@ascwasc.org, Website. For additional ACS WASC accreditation information, please visit https://www.wscuc.org/institutions/palo-alto-university/
The doctoral programs in the Psychology Department are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association; 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002; (800) 374-2721 / (202) 336-5500
This contact information should be used for questions related to a psychology doctoral program’s accreditation status. Any other program-related questions should be directed to the Program Manager or the Director of Clinical Training of the respective program.
- The Palo Alto University PhD Program in Clinical Psychology has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1988.
- The PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 2006.
The master’s degree program in the Counseling Department is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 500 Montgomery St., Ste 350 Alexandria, Virginia 22314; (703) 535-5990
- The MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling has been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) since 2017.
The Master of Social Work program in the Social Work Department is in the process of accreditation with the Council on Social Work Education, 333 John Carlyle Street, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314; (703) 683-8099.
- The Master of Social Work (MSW) Program was assigned by CSWE to its June 2025-June 2027 accreditation timeline, with the expectation of being awarded initial full accreditation at the June 2027 meeting of CSWE’s Board of Accreditation. This accreditation timeline allows students matriculating in Fall of 2025 to be considered as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program is accredited.
The accrediting body for Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) doctoral programs is the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
- CES programs are not eligible to apply for CACREP accreditation until they have students entering the dissertation phase of their program. PAU has created the CES program to be in alignment with CACREP standards and will apply for CACREP accreditation as soon as we are eligible.
In addition to specialty accreditation, academic programs must be approved by regional accreditors to operate. The CES program is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which is the regional accrediting body for PAU.
The National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology has approved listing Palo Alto University as a Designated Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, and PAU graduates are eligible for application to the National Register’s directory.
The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) has approved Counseling students in their last quarters to test for designation and inclusion in the board registry of National Certified Counselors.
Accreditation information is found here.