arc-pa

What arc-pa does

ARC-PA (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant) is the sole recognized accrediting body for Physician Assistant educational programs in the United States, holding recognition from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The organization serves PA programs at three levels: Entry Level Program Accreditation, Postgraduate Program Accreditation, and Post-Professional Doctoral Program Accreditation. Its core operational platform is the Program Management Portal, which manages the accreditation lifecycle for institutions seeking or maintaining accredited status.

ARC-PA's product portfolio also includes the NP&PA Dual Residency Accreditation (offered in conjunction with NPPA Accreditation) and the Institutional Readiness Initiative, a pre-launch advisory service for institutions developing new PA programs. The organization generates revenue primarily through accreditation fees charged to PA programs and workshop/seminar registration fees (priced at $1,000 per attendee for both virtual and in-person formats). Additional revenue streams include conference registrations, with the annual ARC-PA Conference serving as a key engagement event.

The organization is headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, and operates as a nonprofit entity. Leadership includes Executive Director Sharon L. Luke and Legal Counsel Jack Bierig. ARC-PA maintains strategic partnerships with major PA profession stakeholders including AAPA, PAEA, NCCPA, APPAP, ASPA, and PAHx, positioning it at the center of the PA education ecosystem.

Name

arc-pa

Legal name

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.

Website

https://arc-pa.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ARC-PA is the sole CHEA-recognized accrediting body for Physician Assistant educational programs in the US, providing entry-level, postgraduate, and doctoral program accreditation to PA programs across hundreds of institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Education Accreditation

NAICS

Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized/Single-Purpose Accreditors (e.g., seminaries, arts conservatories) (EDADACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accreditation Evaluation, Peer Review & Site-Visit Organizations (EDADACAI), Institutional & Programmatic Accreditation Audits (EDADAGAA)

Keywords

• Physician assistant accreditation
• Medical education standards
• Program accreditation services
• Peer review evaluation
• Healthcare education quality

Headquarters

HQ city

Suwanee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Accreditation Fees: ARC-PA generates revenue through accreditation fees charged to PA programs seeking initial accreditation, provisional accreditation, and continued accreditation. Fees are structured based on the type of accreditation review and program category.
2. Workshop and Seminar Registration: Revenue generated from registration fees for educational workshops and seminars, including the Institutional Officials & ARC-PA Accreditation Online Seminar at $1,000 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ARC-PA defines standards for physician assistant education and accredits PA educational programs in the United States. It conducts comprehensive peer review processes including documentation review and periodic on-site evaluations against its Accreditation Standards. Core offerings include Entry Level Program Accreditation, Postgraduate Program Accreditation, Post-Professional Doctoral Program Accreditation, and NP&PA Dual Residency Accreditation, supplemented by the Institutional Readiness Initiative (IRI) and a Program Management Portal.

Product overview

ARC-PA offers a portfolio of accreditation services for Physician Assistant/Associate education programs. The core offerings include Entry Level Program Accreditation (for entry-level PA programs), Postgraduate Program Accreditation (for clinical residencies and fellowships), Post-Professional Doctoral Program Accreditation, and NP&PA Dual Residency Accreditation. Additionally, ARC-PA provides the Institutional Readiness Initiative (IRI) to support institutions developing new PA programs, and operates a Program Management Portal for programs to manage their accreditation submissions and requirements. The organization conducts comprehensive peer review processes including documentation review and periodic on-site evaluations against established Accreditation Standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Entry Level Program Accreditation Accreditation services for entry-level Physician Assistant/Associate educational programs within the United States, involving comprehensive documentation review and periodic on-site evaluations against ARC-PA Standards. For graduate-level PA programs within regionally accredited institutions authorized to confer graduate degrees.
• Postgraduate Program Accreditation Accreditation services for clinical postgraduate PA programs (residencies, fellowships, graduate degree programs) typically lasting 12-24 months that educate NCCPA-eligible or certified PAs for specialty medical or surgical practice.
• Post-Professional Doctoral Program Accreditation Accreditation services for post-professional doctoral PA programs that build on entry-level PA education.
• NP&PA Dual Residency Accreditation Joint accreditation program for dual Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant residency programs, conducted in partnership with NPPA Accreditation.
• Institutional Readiness Initiative (IRI) A resource designed to support colleges and universities exploring the development of a Physician Assistant/Physician Associate program, providing strategic planning conversations and alignment with accreditation expectations.
• Program Management Portal An online portal system for PA programs to submit required reports, update personnel information, and manage accreditation-related documentation with ARC-PA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates of ARC-PA accredited programs are eligible to take the PANCE exam and obtain state licensure as PAs

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAPA is a collaborating organization of ARC-PA that nominates individuals from its membership to serve as commissioners on the ARC-PA. Each commissioner serves a three-year term, renewable once. AAPA represents the professional interests of PAs nationwide.
• Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAEA is the only national organization representing PA educational programs in the United States. All accredited programs are members of PAEA. PAEA nominates individuals to serve as commissioners on ARC-PA and provides services for faculty, applicants, students, and other stakeholders.
• National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCCPA is a collaborating organization of ARC-PA, responsible for certifying PAs and administering the PANCE exam. NCCPA certification is required for PA practice, and graduation from an ARC-PA accredited program is an eligibility requirement for PANCE.
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHEA recognizes ARC-PA as an authorized accrediting agency. This recognition validates ARC-PA's role in higher education quality assurance for PA programs within the territorial United States.
• Association of Post Graduate Physician Assistant Programs (APPAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPPAP is listed as a linked site and professional organization supporting postgraduate PA residency programs.
• Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASPA is an association of specialized and professional accrediting organizations. ARC-PA participates as a member of this professional community.
• Physician Assistant History Society (PAHx)minorOthersPAHx is dedicated to preserving the history of the PA profession and is listed as a linked site on the ARC-PA website.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP): CAAHEP is a programmatic accreditor for allied health professions, operating a peer review and site-visit accreditation model highly comparable to ARC-PA's PA program accreditation. It serves a parallel function across multiple allied health disciplines, making it the closest operating model peer to ARC-PA.
• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE): ACPE is the sole national accreditor for professional pharmacy degree programs and continuing pharmacy education providers in the US, recognized by CHEA. Like ARC-PA, it sets standards, conducts peer review and site visits, and is required for graduates to obtain licensure — making it a directly comparable single-profession specialized accreditor.
• Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH): CEPH accredits schools and programs of public health, recognized by CHEA. As a CHEA-recognized, fee-based specialized accreditor for a single professional category, it shares ARC-PA's structural and operational profile.
• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE): CSWE accredits baccalaureate and master's social work programs in the US and is CHEA-recognized. It mirrors ARC-PA's accreditation-fee model and is a comparable single-profession specialized accreditor.
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE): CCNE accredits nursing programs at the baclan, master's, and doctoral levels and is a CHEA-recognized US programmatic accreditor. It operates the same accreditation-fee, peer-review model as ARC-PA and is structurally comparable as a single-profession specialized accreditor.
• Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME): LCME accredits US and Canadian medical schools granting MD degrees and is recognized by the Department of Education and CHEA. It operates the same accreditation-fee, peer-review, site-visit model as ARC-PA and is a comparably structured single-profession accreditor.
• Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE): CAATE accredits athletic training programs and is CHEA-recognized. It is a smaller, specialized programmatic accreditor with a similar fee structure, peer review process, and site visit model as ARC-PA.
• Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA): COCA is the sole accrediting body for osteopathic medical colleges in the US, recognized by the Department of Education and CHEA. Its monopoly position and accreditation-fee revenue model are directly analogous to ARC-PA's role for PA programs.

Others

• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): CHEA is the meta-recognizing body that confers recognition upon ARC-PA and other specialized accreditors. It is not a direct competitor but the umbrella authority whose recognition is necessary for ARC-PA's authority.
• Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA): ASPA is the membership association of specialized and professional accreditors, of which ARC-PA is a member. It is an ecosystem-level peer, not a direct competitor, and provides peer community and policy coordination across specialized accreditors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arc-pa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about arc-pa