NACCAS published its updated accreditation standards in March with several substantive changes that affect how cosmetology and esthetics programs document student progress. The changes are effective for all on-site evaluations conducted after September 1, 2025.
SAP policy requirements
The updated standards require that SAP policies include an explicit statement about how the school handles students who fail to meet SAP at the first evaluation point. Previously, schools could reference their general academic policies. Under the new standards, the SAP policy document itself must describe the financial aid appeal process, the academic plan requirement, and the maximum timeframe calculation method specific to clock-hour programs.
Attendance documentation
Reviewers will now ask for attendance records in a format that shows daily clock hours attended, not just weekly totals. Aggregate weekly summaries were acceptable under the prior standards. Under the 2025 update, evaluators expect daily granularity for any student flagged during the review period.
Cosmetology programs using paper sign-in sheets should note that NACCAS has indicated it will accept digital attendance records as primary documentation provided the system timestamps entries and restricts retroactive edits. Schools should confirm with their SIS vendor whether the system produces an immutable attendance log.
Leave of absence documentation
The new standards require a signed student acknowledgment at the time of LOA approval stating the student's expected return date and the consequence for failing to return. This acknowledgment must be stored in the student's file and available to reviewers on request. Schools using digital student files should ensure this document type has a distinct, searchable category.
Preparing for your next review
Start by auditing your SAP policy document against the new checklist in the updated standards. If your current SIS produces only weekly attendance totals, begin retaining daily records now — even if your next review is 12 months out. Retroactively reconstructing daily attendance from weekly summaries is not something NACCAS will accept.