The GOER
Cycle.
Accreditation has a vocabulary, and it pays to be precise about it. This page sets out what a GOER accreditation covers, the process that produces it, and the standing your organisation holds at every point in the cycle.
Pre-Candidacy
Application in, readiness being shown
Candidacy
Requirements met, pursuing full accreditation
Initial Accreditation
Granted on passing the first full review
Reaffirmation
Held through periodic review
Periodic review
Evidence examined again, standing reaffirmed
What gets accredited
Accreditation is defined first by scope — which part of an organisation the award covers. These are the industry-standard terms, and where GOER's own packages sit among them.
Institutional Accreditation
Evaluates an entire organisation or academic institution as a whole — a university, hospital, or company.
Awarded through Full Accreditation.
Programmatic / Specialized Accreditation
Evaluates a specific programme, department, or school within a larger institution — as ABET does for engineering, AACSB for business, or CAEP for education.
Awarded through Specialized and Enhanced Accreditation.
Regional Accreditation
Historically the gold standard in the United States, granted by regional bodies evaluating broad, degree-granting colleges and universities.
National Accreditation
Focuses on specialised, vocational, technical, distance-learning, or faith-based institutions across a nation.
Systemic / Enterprise Accreditation
Used in corporate learning and healthcare networks, applying to a multi-site network under a single quality umbrella.
The 4-E Process
Every GOER accreditation, at any scope, is produced the same way.
Explore
We map your context, learners, and ambitions against GOER Core Principles to establish what accreditation should cover and where you stand today.
Evidence
You assemble evidence against each principle. Our Evidence Matrix sets out exactly what is expected at every level, so nothing is guesswork.
Evaluate
Independent review of your evidence, platform, and policies. Strategists who mentored you never evaluate you — advisory and assessment stay structurally separate.
Envision
Accreditation is a starting point. We agree a development roadmap, and your standing is maintained through periodic review.
Where you stand
Accreditation is a standing, not a one-off certificate. These are the statuses an organisation holds as it moves through the cycle.
Pre-Candidacy / Applicant
The entry stage. You have submitted an application and are demonstrating readiness to undergo evaluation.
Candidacy
A formal transitional standing: you meet the basic requirements and are actively pursuing full accreditation.
Initial Accreditation
Granted once you pass your first comprehensive review.
Reaffirmation / Continued Accreditation
The standard standing for organisations that maintain compliance through ongoing periodic review.
Conditional / Probationary
A temporary standing applied when specific standards are unmet. You are given a defined window to take corrective action before accreditation is withdrawn.
A corrective standing that sits outside the forward progression — it applies only where standards slip, and is designed to be recovered from.
Where the packages fit
GOER offers three accreditation packages, each including everything in the one before it.
Specialized Accreditation
Accreditation for a specific programme or subject area, with a verifiable badge that proves it.
from $450 / year Apply for Specialized Accreditation
Enhanced Accreditation
The same accreditation with structured mentoring to close gaps, and a speaking voice in the Nexus community.
from $1,350 / year Apply for Enhanced Accreditation
Full Accreditation
Institutional accreditation covering your whole organisation, co-designed with a dedicated GOER officer.
from $2,850 / year Apply for Full Accreditation
Ready to enter
the cycle?
Applying takes minutes, and puts you at Pre-Candidacy with a clear route from there.
Apply now