Terms and Conditions for Accreditation

Official Effective Date: January 1, 2024

Date of Agreement:

I. Financial Terms and Fees

  1. Preliminary Review Fee: A non-refundable Preliminary Review Fee of $99 USD is mandatory upon submission of the application. This fee covers initial administrative review and processing and does not guarantee the grant of accreditation.
  2. Annual Membership Fee: Certification is valid for one (1) year. Annual renewal of the membership fee (tiered based on entity size/scope) is mandatory to maintain the right to display the ABIA Seal and use the ‘Certified’ designation.
  3. Annual Fee Structure for Institutions:
    • The base Annual Membership Fee (e.g., $750 USD) includes the right to use the ABIA Seal and covers the issuance of a predetermined number of certificates (e.g., 50 certificates) during the membership year.
    • Any certificates issued above the predetermined number will incur an additional fee per certificate (e.g., $20 USD per additional certificate).
  4. Refund Policy: All fees, including the Preliminary Review Fee and Annual Membership Fee, are non-refundable, except in cases where ABIA terminates the service without cause.

II. Data Compliance and Verification Mandate

This section outlines the mandatory requirements for data sharing, which is essential for the integrity of the ABIA verification system:

  1. Mandatory Data Provision: The Accredited Party is required to mandatorily provide ABIA with all necessary student, trainee, or employee certification data and records (including names, certificate serial numbers, and course completion dates) promptly upon issuance.
  2. Purpose of Data: This data is provided for the sole purpose of enabling public, online verification through the ABIA website’s “Verify Your Accreditation” tool.
  3. Verification Integrity: Failure to provide complete, accurate, or timely data to support the verification system constitutes a material breach of these terms and is grounds for immediate termination of accreditation and Seal revocation.

III. Use of the ABIA Seal and Trademark

  1. Ownership: The ABIA Seal and all associated trademarks remain the exclusive property of the American Board for International Accreditation.
  2. License Grant: The Accredited Party is granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the ABIA Seal only during the active membership period and only on materials directly related to the accredited program or service.
  3. Revocation: ABIA reserves the right to immediately terminate the accreditation and revoke the license to use the Seal upon: (a) Non-compliance with payment terms; (b) Failure to adhere to ABIA’s quality standards; or (c) Breach of any term within this agreement.
  4. Visual Guidelines: Use of the ABIA Seal must strictly adhere to the visual guidelines provided in the official ABIA Brand Guide.

IV. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles.