ASCA-Recognized School Counselor Preparation Program

College/university school counselor preparation programs may seek national recognition of their school counselor preparation program through the ASCA Specialized Professional Association (SPA) under the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) or the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). The ASCA School Counselor Preparation Program Standards are a unified set of principles guiding school counselor preparation programs in training effective future school counselors in areas of professional practice and ethical behavior.

CAEP and AAQEP maintain standards as the foundation for preparation in their professional domain – educators in P–12 schools. Through affiliated professional associations, CAEP and AAQEP also recognize standards established for specific professions for initial and advanced preparation programs in specialty licensure areas. These standards are written for different fields of teaching (e.g., elementary, special education, secondary mathematics) and for other school professionals (e.g., principals, librarians, school psychologists).

Programs receiving the national recognition have affirmed that candidates are prepared to deliver a comprehensive school counseling program and are knowledgeable about the foundations and concepts of school counseling. Graduates of ASCA-recognized school counselor preparation programs demonstrate they have met national standards that are recognized and valued by school districts and administrators.

Five school counselor preparation programs have earned the ASCA National Recognition, including:

University of Missouri – Columbia in Columbia, Mo. (July 2025)
Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. (July 2024)
Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort. Myers, Fla. (July 2024)
NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (February 2023)
Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo. (December 2023)

The recognition lasts for seven years. Universities may seek the ASCA recognition again at the time of their accreditation renewal. 

Application Process
Programs must complete the program review process, providing evidence that they meet each of the ASCA standards. For CAEP, universities seeking the national recognition must announce their intention to CAEP three years prior to their CAEP accreditation site visit. Two cycles of data are required for the CAEP SPA program, so national recognition reports are due one year before the CAEP site visit for CAEP accreditation. There are no additional fees for program review; review is included with CAEP accreditation fees. Programs must complete the SPA program review process. Click here to review the program report template or here to request a program report shell. 

For national recognition through AAQEP,  programs must submit their program report simultaneously with their AAQEP accreditation review material. Completed program reports should be sent to Angie Hickman, CAE (ahickman@schoolcounselor.org) by the report due date closest the university's accreditation review material due date. Click here to view the program report template. Learn more.  

Program reports are reviewed by three ASCA-trained reviewers (at least two are school counseling faculty with doctoral degrees).

Timeline for CAEP

Revised and Response to Conditions Reports are also accepted March 15 and Sept. 15 each year. Refer to timelines included in the original report response from reviewers.  

Annual Timeline for AAQEP