ELSAC’s initial evaluation fee is US$500 irrespective of the number of courses a school offers. Additionally, an initial non-refundable accreditation fee of US$250 is payable after completion of Stage 1 of the accreditation process. Meanwhile, on receipt of the initial non-refundable accreditation fee of US$250, the school will be awarded provisional accreditation status. The outstanding accreditation fee of US$250 is payable on the award of full accreditation status. An annual accreditation fee of US$250 is payable for each franchise or branch of an accredited school. Franchises and branches must submit an application form and be listed on the ELSAC website.

Provisional accreditation is awarded once a school has paid the initial accreditation fee. The school is then invited to submit all documentation in support of the accreditation application. Once the supporting documentation has been submitted and full accreditation is awarded, the school will pay the outstanding accreditation fee. The school must pay the fee of US$250 within 30 days. Provisional accreditation will be withdrawn after this period and the listing deleted from the ELSAC.

Initial accreditation is valid for one year and is renewable on an annual basis for a fee of US$500 irrespective of the number of courses a school offers. This fee is payable on the anniversary of initial accreditation. The award of full accreditation, including the benefits derived, are exclusive and attached to the designated school and its location.

Moreover, the set of key performance indicators (Standards & Evidence) assessed during the accreditation process relate to the governance and procedures of the designated school. Furthermore, the accreditation status of a school cannot be transferred or extended (explicitly, implicitly or otherwise) to its partners or affiliates.  Accreditation of an institution, therefore, does not transfer/extend to its partners or affiliates. Under no circumstances may the partners or affiliates of an accredited school assume ELSAC accreditation or display its logos. Affiliates and partners of accredited members must apply for separate accreditation from ELSAC.

The renewal date for accreditation is always on the first day of the month in which full accreditation was awarded. So, if full accreditation was awarded on 16 March 2023, then the renewal date will be on 1 March every year thereafter.

A school will be invoiced for renewal 30 days before the expiry of the current/annual accreditation period. If a school wishes to opt-out of the renewal of their accreditation, they should notify ELSAC in writing thereof.

An accredited school will be given a grace period of 5 days to renew its accreditation after expiry. If a school does not choose to renew its accreditation before the end of this grace period, then the accreditation will cease immediately and the listing of that school will be removed from the ELSAC website.

Furthermore, the school will also be required to remove all reference to ELSAC accreditation from their website, marketing materials and certificates – including logos, links and banners. Please note that if a school wishes to renew its accreditation once the grace period has expired, a new application must be submitted. *Once the grace period has expired, all documentation pertaining to a school´s accreditation will be permanently deleted.

Accredited members of the English Language School Accreditation Council agree to abide by the ELSAC’s Code of Professional Practice. The gross misconduct of an accredited member may lead to the withdrawal of accreditation without compensation.

If a student or graduate makes a complaint about a school, they will be advised to first contact the school directly to ensure that all means have been attempted to resolve the matter according to the school´s own complaints or grievances procedure.

And if the dispute remains unresolved and the student believes the school has not complied with their policies and procedures, then the student will be asked to forward all evidence relating to the complaint or grievance via email to the ELSAC office. Additionally, if the evidence provided is believed to require further investigation, ELSAC will contact the school directly to try and resolve the matter.

Accredited members are excluded from all promotions unless expressely stated in the promotion. Members that have been accreditted in the past (as well as their partners and associates) are excluded from all promotions and special offers. All promotions and specials will have a period for which they are valid.