Key terms on this page (6)
- Programmatic accreditation
- Approval of a specific degree program by a professional accreditor (CACREP, COAMFTE, CSWE, APA). Different from the university’s own accreditation.
- Institutional accreditation
- Approval of the whole university by a federally recognized accreditor. Required for federal aid, and the minimum every state expects.
- Candidacy
- The stage a new program is in while it seeks accreditation. Rules for whether its graduates count vary by accreditor.
- Practicum and internship
- Supervised clinical work with real clients during the degree. CACREP requires at least 100 practicum and 600 internship hours.
- Portability
- How easily your degree and license are accepted when you move to another state.
- Advanced standing
- A shortened MSW, often about one year, for students who already hold a CSWE-accredited bachelor’s in social work.
Accreditation, license by license
Every state expects your university to hold institutional accreditation. The question is whether it also expects the program itself to be accredited by your profession’s accreditor. The answer differs sharply by license.
- Social work · CSWE
- Effectively required
Clinical social work licensure is built around a CSWE-accredited MSW. Do not consider an unaccredited social work program.
- Psychology · APA
- Usually required
Most states want an APA-accredited doctorate (or a closely defined equivalent) and often an APA-accredited or APPIC internship. The NHSC requires APA; the VA accepts APA, Canadian (CPA) or PCSAS accreditation.
- Counseling · CACREP
- Depends on the state
Required or close to it in a growing list of states, ignored in others. The VA hires counselors only from CACREP programs. Some states also accept MPCAC.
- MFT · COAMFTE
- Rarely decides
Most states accept a non-accredited MFT degree that meets their coursework rules. It matters for NHSC loan repayment, some hour credits, and Florida from 2032.
Where counseling accreditation decides it
Counselors are the group most affected by where they live, because states have been moving toward CACREP one at a time. In our 50-state data, checked in September 2026:
- Ohio requires a graduate counseling degree earned at an Ohio program after 1 January 2018 to be CACREP accredited or board approved.
- Alabama requires a 60-semester-hour CACREP or CORE degree for applicants since 1 January 2024.
- Florida requires a CACREP or MPCAC accredited (or equivalent) degree from 1 July 2025.
- North Carolina requires a 60-semester-hour CACREP degree for associate counselor applicants from 1 July 2025.
- Washington does not require it, but credits CACREP graduates with 500 hours of experience and 50 of supervision.
- California does not require CACREP; it checks your coursework against its own list.
Rules change, and this list is not complete. Check your state’s requirements or find it on the map, and check every state you might plausibly move to.
Online, in person or hybrid
The coursework can be taught well online, and accreditors review online programs to the same standards. Three things still need checking. Practicum happens in person, near you, so ask how the program finds and approves sites in your area. Some states look closely at in-person residencies or supervised hours. And a degree from a school in another state must still meet your state’s rules, which is why federal regulations require schools to say, state by state, whether a licensure program meets the education requirements.
For psychology, the trade-off is different: PhD programs lean toward research and are more often funded, PsyD programs lean clinical and often cost more. The psychologist track covers this in depth.
Nine questions to ask admissions
Put the same questions to every program on your list. Open each one to see what a good answer sounds like, and the red flag.
Nine questions for admissions
0 of 9 answered well
Red flags at a glance
Myth
“Regionally accredited, so it’s fine.”
Actually
That covers the university. Your license depends on the program’s own accreditation and your state’s coursework rules.
Myth
“Start next month, no interview needed.”
Actually
Good clinical programs screen for fit. Constant start dates and instant offers usually mean a business model, not a training one.
Myth
“You’ll find your own practicum site.”
Actually
Without real placement support this is the step that stalls people. Ask for last year’s sites.
Three applicants, three decisions
Invented composites, not real people.
Jordan
27, military spouse
Chose CACREP onlineExpected to move every few years. A CACREP-accredited online counseling program with a placement office in each state kept the most doors open.
Aisha
35, nonprofit manager
Chose COAMFTE in personWanted couples and family work and planned to repay loans at a rural clinic. The COAMFTE program qualified her for NHSC loan repayment.
Tom
24, BSW graduate
Chose advanced standingHis CSWE-accredited bachelor’s in social work let him finish a CSWE-accredited MSW in about a year, saving a year of tuition.
Next · Step 4
Paying for it
Graduate loans changed on 1 July 2026. What you can borrow now, the forgiveness programs that still work, and how to get paid during practicum.
Questions people ask
Does it matter if my counseling program is CACREP-accredited?
It depends on the state, and it is getting more important. Ohio requires CACREP or board approval for degrees from Ohio programs, Alabama, Florida and North Carolina have recently required CACREP (or a named alternative) for new applicants, and the VA hires counselors only from CACREP programs. Other states, California among them, judge your coursework instead. If you might move, choose CACREP.
Is COAMFTE accreditation required to become an LMFT?
Rarely. Most states accept an MFT degree that meets their coursework and practicum rules, accredited or not. It matters at the edges: Florida will require COAMFTE or CACREP for MFT degrees conferred from September 2032, a few states credit COAMFTE graduates with hours, and the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program asks for a COAMFTE-accredited degree for MFTs.
Are online therapy degrees legitimate?
Many are, and accreditors like CACREP and CSWE accredit online programs to the same standards. What differs is practicum: you still see clients in person in your own area, and some online programs leave you to find that site yourself. Ask who finds your placement before you enroll.
Can I get licensed from a program that is not accredited yet?
Sometimes. Programs seeking accreditation go through a candidacy period, and accreditors have rules for whether students who graduate during or before it count as graduates of an accredited program. Ask the program for the accreditor’s rule in writing, and what happens to you if accreditation is denied.
Sources
Checked 28 October 2026. State accreditation rules change; confirm with your board before you enroll.
- Becoming Licensed 50-state data (2026) — Accreditation rules for counselors and MFTs in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Washington, New Hampshire and Mississippi, each sourced to the state board or code; checked 25 September 2026.
- Ohio Revised Code §4757.23 — Counseling degrees from Ohio programs after 1 January 2018 must be CACREP accredited or board approved.
- CACREP — Accredited counseling programs; practicum (100 hours) and internship (600 hours) standards; VA recognition of CACREP graduates.
- COAMFTE (AAMFT) — Accredited marriage and family therapy programs.
- Council on Social Work Education — Accredited BSW and MSW programs, including candidacy status.
- American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation — Accredited doctoral, internship and postdoctoral programs.
- MPCAC — Accredits master’s programs in counseling and psychological science; accepted by some states.
- HRSA, NHSC Loan Repayment Program FY2026 Application and Program Guidance — Eligible disciplines and education requirements, including a COAMFTE-accredited degree for MFTs and APA for psychologists.
- 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v) — Schools must disclose, by state, whether a licensure program meets the educational requirements.