About Us

Who we are

The International Theological Accreditation Association (ITAA) exists to protect students by encouraging transparent, ethical, and high-quality theological education. ITAA provides independent theological accreditation and independent quality assurance for theological and ministry-focused institutions worldwide. ITAA is not a governmental accreditation authority: "ITAA is a private theological accreditation agency."

Our work is governed by clear, documented policies that prioritise student protection, truthful public information and institutional continuous improvement. We assess institutions against standards covering governance, academic provision, student support, financial stability and learning outcomes.

Core principles and purpose

ITAA operates on the following core principles: student-first protection; accreditation as a quality-assurance process rather than a marketing tool; institutional rankings that measure the maturity of systems and governance but not ministry value; and support for continuing institutional improvement.

Locked statements (authoritative wording):

• "ITAA is a private theological accreditation agency."
• "ITAA is not a governmental accreditation authority."
• "ITAA accreditation never overrides local law."
• "Institutions remain solely responsible for compliance with all applicable national, state or provincial, regional, and local laws."
• "ITAA does not grant statutory degree-awarding powers."
• "Accreditation status does not replace governmental recognition where required."
• "Institutional rankings measure the maturity of systems and governance, not the value of a ministry, spiritual calling, ministry effectiveness, or God's favour."

What accreditation means with ITAA

Accreditation with ITAA is an independent, non-governmental judgement that an institution meets defined standards for governance, academic quality and student support. Our Levels (Foundational, Developing, Established) communicate the maturity of institutional systems and governance only. Accreditation does not confer governmental recognition, statutory degree-awarding powers, or replace any local licensing or registration requirement.

Institutions remain responsible for holding any licences, registrations or approvals required by their national or local authorities before issuing qualifications.

Institutional responsibilities

Every institution accredited by ITAA must:

1. Maintain accurate and current public information about its legal status, programmes and awards.
2. Comply with all applicable national, provincial/state, regional and local laws governing operation and awarding of qualifications.
3. Operate quality-assurance systems that meet ITAA standards and notify ITAA promptly of significant changes.
4. Not imply governmental recognition where none exists.

ITAA reserves the right to investigate misuse of accreditation or misleading claims and to suspend, withdraw, or amend accreditation where appropriate.

Student protection and transparency

ITAA accreditation exists primarily for the protection and benefit of students. We aim to increase transparency, communicate institutional maturity, encourage continuous improvement, and help prospective students make informed choices. Accreditation status should be used to explain the scope and limits of ITAA recognition, not to inflate institutional reputation.

How we relate to CEQA and other frameworks

ITAA aligns its policies with recognised quality-assurance principles. As described on our site, ITAA works with the Council for Education Quality & Accreditation (CEQA) framework for shared policy alignment and to ensure baseline standards of assessment and governance are applied consistently where CEQA is referenced. This alignment does not make ITAA a governmental authority nor does it confer statutory powers on accredited institutions.

Related guidance and resources

For more about our fees, processes, standards and applications, refer to the core guidance pages within this site. Prospective institutions and students should consult our Process & Requirements, Standards, Fees & Membership, Applications and Contact & Verification pages for operational details, timelines and documentation guidance.