Accreditation Decisions
 

COA meets two times each year (April and October) and utilizes special meetings, if necessary.

Current decisions of COA are reported on this webpage and decisions since October 2013, may be reviewed under the tab - Past COA Decisions. Effective in 2019, accreditation decision information is included in the ABFSE Directory of Accredited Programs.

Committee on Accreditation (COA) Actions:

October 2026
The Committee on Accreditation of the American Board of Funeral Service Education took the following actions regarding these funeral service/mortuary science education programs at the October 22-23, 2026 meeting in Charlotte, NC:

Re-accreditation for a period of seven (7) years

FINE, Norwood, MA
Program is reaccredited with stipulations regarding use of off-site clinical sites and affiliation agreements, documentation of document retention and storage policies and an updated assessment plan demonstrating results from a new clinical education questionnaire. Stipulations are to be addressed by March 1, 2027.

Brightpoint Community College, Chester, VA
Program is reaccredited with stipulations to provide an updated curriculum distribution/degree plan and evidence of meaningful use of employer surveys. Stipulations are to be addressed by March 1, 2027.

Ogeechee Technical College, Statesboro, GA
Program is reaccredited with stipulations to provide a sample of ten (10) completed student case reports for embalming and funeral directing and an updated program assessment plan that includes results from the new graduate and employer surveys. Stipulations are to be addressed by March 1, 2027.

Candidacy approved

West Georgia Technical College, Douglasville, GA
Candidacy approved for one year while the program prepares for Initial Accreditation.

Distance Education application approved

Kansas City Kansas Community College,  Kansas City, KS
Distance education application was approved.

Goodwin University, E. Hartford, CT
Distance Education application was approved with five (5) commendations and three (3) stipulations to be addressed by March 1, 2027. Stipulations require evidence that regular and substantive interactions occur in each distance learning course, that faculty have completed professional development in distance education and that the professional licensure notification on the program webpage has been updated.

Arkansas Status University - Mountain Home, Mountain Home, AR
Delivery of the accredited program via synchronous streaming video to two (2) ASU branch campuses is acknowledged and approved.

Distance Education application continued

Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Cincinnati, OH
During the virtual visit it was determined that program delivery changed from synchronous to asynchronous delivery. Additional information is required for a decision.

Substantive Changes approved

Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Cincinnati, OH
Relocation of the academic facilities to the campus of Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH.
Anticipated relocation of the embalming facility is expected by Fall 2027.

Pierce Mortuary Colleges currently recognized as Dallas institute of Funeral Service, Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, Mid-America College of Funeral Service.
Name change for three (3) institutions was accepted. New names are as follows:

• Pierce College of Funeral Service - Dallas Institute
• Pierce College of Funeral Service - Gupton-Jones
• Pierce College of Funeral Service - Mid-America


Cypress College, Cypress, CA
Credit for Prior Learning process was approved.

Stipulations satisfied

Mercer County Community College, Trenton, NJ
The response concerning NBE pass rates and the updated assessment plan were accepted and the stipulations from the October 2025 reaccreditation are satisfied.

St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, MO
Off-campus clinical site documentation was reviewed and the April 2026 stipulation is satisfied.

Probation status satisfied

Arkansas Status University - Mountain Home,  Mountain Home, AR
Probation is removed. Program is returned to good standing with one (1) stipulation. By March 1, 2027, the program must provide evidence demonstrating how assessment results for graduation/retention and job placement/employment outcomes are analyzed and used.

Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, IN
Stipulations are satisfied and Probation is removed.
Program is re-accredited for a period of seven (7) years from date of last renewal. Next comprehensive review will be 2032.

Malcolm X College, Chicago, IL
COA acknowledged the NBE pass rate improvement plan. Probation is removed and the Malcolm X College- Mortuary Science Program is returned to good standing.

Milwaukee Area Technical College, West Allis, WI
COA acknowledged the NBE pass rate improvement plan. Probation is removed and the program is returned to good standing.

North Shore Community College,  Danvers, MA
The COA acknowledged the updated assessment plan. Probation is removed and the program is returned to good standing.

Southwest Tennessee Community College, Memphis, TN
COA acknowledged receipt of the NBE pass rate improvement plan. Probation is removed and the program is returned to good standing.

Probation status continued

Eastwick College, Hackensack, NJ
Probation response was expected in two parts. The September 1 response was accepted. The final probation response is due March 1, 2027.

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
Probation continued to April 2027 with response due by March 1, 2027, due to insufficient initial response.

Other actions taken by the Committee on Accreditation in October 2026 did not affect the accredited status of the programs involved.

The following institutions/programs will be considered for scheduled re-accreditation and related action via a formal review by the Committee on Accreditation at the next scheduled meeting April 13-14, 2027, in Detroit, MI.

Re-accreditation

AAMI, New York, NY
Cypress College, Cypress, CA
Fayetteville Technical College, Fayetteville, NC

Candidacy

North Georgia Technical College, Clarksville, GA

Mid-cycle review

Worsham College, Wheeling, IL

____________________________

Public comment regarding the above may be submitted to the ABFSE office prior to March 1, 2027.

Robert C. Smith III
Executive Director
992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108
Woodbury Heights, NJ  08097
Office: (816) 233-3747
Email: exdir@abfse.org

Download the above information

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Past COA Decisions
(all documents below are presented in PDF format)