Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)

What Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) does

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is an independent, nonprofit professional accreditation organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and the sole recognized accreditor for pharmacy education in the United States. It serves four primary constituencies: US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs, continuing pharmacy education (CE) providers, international pharmacy education institutions, and individual pharmacists/technicians pursuing continuing professional development. Its mandate is to assure the quality and integrity of pharmacy education and training through standards-based accreditation, application processing, on-site reviews, and commission evaluations.

ACPE operates a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms rather than a single product suite. Core platforms include CPE Monitor (co-developed with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) for national CPE credit authentication, P.L.A.N. (Pharmacy Learning Assistance Network) as the online CE activity catalog, the ACPE Provider Web Tool (PWT) for CE activity data entry by accredited providers, CESARS for electronic self-assessment report submission, My CPD for self-directed learning, and PHARMS and INSPIRES for accreditation management. These platforms route CE activity data from providers (PWT) into the public catalog (P.L.A.N.) and the credit tracking layer (CPE Monitor), creating an integrated infrastructure for CE quality assurance across the profession.

ACPE generates revenue primarily through accreditation fees charged to institutions and organizations seeking accreditation across its four program streams (PharmD, CE provider, CPD, and International). Specific fees are not publicly disclosed and are administered through direct engagement on multi-year cycles. Go-to-market is direct institutional engagement (enterprise/field-style), supplemented by self-serve digital platforms for learners and a multi-channel communication program including newsletters, webinars, social media, and an annual Healthcare CE Professionals Day. Key strategic partnerships include NABP (joint CPE Monitor platform) and ASHP (joint Pharmacy Technician Education Accreditation Collaboration, PTEC).

Name

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)

Legal name

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education

Website

https://acpe-accredit.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ACPE is the sole US-recognized nonprofit accreditor for pharmacy education, providing accreditation for PharmD programs, continuing education providers, CPD programs, and international pharmacy degree programs. It operates an integrated digital platform ecosystem (CPE Monitor, P.L.A.N., CESARS, PWT) that authenticates and tracks continuing pharmacy education nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accreditation Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare Clinical Professions (CME/CE for Nurses, Allied Health, Pharmacy) (EDAAALAC), Schools of Pharmacy (EDAHAGAE), Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ), Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)

Keywords

• Pharmacy accreditation services
• Continuing education programs
• Professional standards body
• Education quality assurance
• Pharmacy training accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Accreditation Fees: ACPE generates revenue through accreditation fees charged to institutions and organizations seeking accreditation for PharmD programs, Continuing Education providers, Continuing Professional Development programs, and International programs. Fees are associated with application processing, site visits, evaluations, and ongoing compliance reviews conducted by ACPE commissions and panels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ACPE provides accreditation services for pharmacy education programs in the United States and internationally, including PharmD program accreditation, continuing education (CE) provider accreditation, joint accreditation, continuing professional development (CPD) accreditation, and pharmacy technician education accreditation collaboration. Its core offering is the standards-based evaluation and accreditation of professional pharmacy degree programs and CE providers, supported by digital platforms (CPE Monitor®, P.L.A.N.™, CESARS, Provider Web Tool, PHARMS, INSPIRES) that enable CE activity tracking, self-assessment reporting, and credit authentication for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

Product overview

ACPE is an accreditation organization that provides accreditation services and professional development activities for pharmacy education. Rather than a unified product platform, ACPE operates a portfolio of distinct digital platforms and tools that support its accreditation mission. The core digital ecosystem includes P.L.A.N.™ for continuing education activity cataloguing, the ACPE Provider Web Tool for CE activity input and validation, CPE Monitor® for CPE tracking (developed with NABP), CESARS for self-assessment report submissions, My CPD for self-directed learning, and PHARMS and INSPIRES for accreditation management. These platforms serve different stakeholder segments (accredited providers, learners, program administrators) but are interconnected tools supporting the accreditation workflow.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPE Monitor: A continuing pharmacy education tracking service developed by ACPE and NABP that authenticates and stores data for completed CPE units received by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from ACPE-accredited providers.
• P.L.A.N. (Pharmacy Learning Assistance Network)
• CESARS (Continuing Education Self-Assessment Report System)
• ACPE Provider Web Tool

Products and services

• PharmD Accreditation Program

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACPE collaborates with ASHP on the Pharmacy Technician Education Accreditation Collaboration (PTEC). Under this partnership, ACPE and ASHP jointly accredit pharmacy technician education and training programs, setting shared standards and conducting joint accreditation reviews to ensure quality training for pharmacy technicians across the United States.
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACPE and NABP jointly developed CPE Monitor®, a continuing pharmacy education tracking service that authenticates and stores data for completed CPE units received by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from ACPE-accredited providers. This platform enables boards of pharmacy to verify CE compliance and supports the inter-operability of accreditation data across the profession.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): Accredits nursing continuing education and provides credentialing programs. Part of Joint Accreditation alongside ACPE, with comparable CE accreditation scope in the nursing profession.
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP): Co-developer of CPE Monitor with ACPE and the body that represents state pharmacy boards. Operates adjacent regulatory and licensure verification services that interact closely with ACPE's accreditation data.
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE): Autonomous accrediting body for nursing education programs. Functions as ACPE's nursing counterpart and partner in the interprofessional Joint Accreditation initiative.
• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP): Represents US pharmacy schools and works closely with ACPE on PharmD program standards and quality. Comparable scope of influence over pharmacy education though focused on advocacy rather than accreditation.
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP): Major professional society for pharmacists that jointly accredits pharmacy technician programs with ACPE and runs extensive pharmacy education and credentialing programs, partially overlapping ACPE's role.

Direct peers

• Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education: Coalition of ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC offering single accreditation for interprofessional CE. Directly overlaps ACPE in healthcare CE provider accreditation and represents both a partner and competitive channel.
• Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME): National accreditor for continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. Direct functional analog to ACPE for the medical profession, with comparable standards-based accreditation model and interprofessional joint accreditation role.
• Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME): Recognized accreditor for US medical schools (MD programs). The medical-school analog to ACPE's PharmD accreditation function, with similar regulatory authority and standards-based review processes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100068756651329
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acpe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)