Legacy Accreditations

Approved Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH) program accreditation is intended for coach training providers who are interested in having their training program accredited by ICF Coach Training.

ACSTH accredited programs are considered “al la carte” training programs, which may or may not offer start to finish coach training programs. A minimum of 30 student contact hours are required for ACSTH program accreditation.

Graduates from an ACSTH program may apply for the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) Credential or the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Credential using the ACSTH application path if they meet the credentialing application requirements.

ACSTH programs are required to have at least 30 student contact hours. At least 50% of all training must be delivered in synchronous activities and 80% focused on the ICF Core Competencies. The remaining 50% of the training program can be delivered asynchronously and remaining 20% focused on subjects not directly related to the ICF Core Competencies.

• Student contact hours: Clock hours spent in synchronous (real-time) interactions between faculty and students. This may include time spent in direct instruction, real-time discussions, observation and feedback or practice coaching sessions, and mentoring students.
• Homework/Independent study: Clock hours spent outside of real-time interaction between faculty and students (asynchronous). These may include outside reading, writing, research, journaling, practice coaching and various other activities that may occur outside of the synchronous setting. All asynchronous hours require some method of validating that the activity was completed by the student.
• Application requirements: The organization will be asked to document the number of hours that their training program offers and provide a list of all classes being offered.

The following operational standards must be met by all programs. Should any of the below standards not be met by the training organization, or if ICF determines that there is not sufficient support to determine compliance with any of these standards, the application will be denied and the contact person listed in the application will be notified.

Operational Standard 1 – All programs are required to have a publicly accessible website that includes a comprehensive explanation of what the training program offers. The website must include:

• Title of the program
• General program vision and goals
• List of classes/modules/parts
• Number of student contact hours included in program
• Learning goals
• Coaching philosophy/model/approach
• Listing of lead instructors
• Dates and locations of when and where the program is to be delivered
• Language(s) that are used in program delivery
• How the program is delivered (e.g. face-to-face, webinar, telephonic, combination)
• Intended participants
• Requirements students must meet to enter the program
• Policies on payment of tuition and fees
• Policies on withdrawals and refunds

Operational Standard 2 – All programs must have been in operation for a minimum of six (6) months as established by the first time the program was delivered to students with curriculum content consistent with the intended program application.

Operational Standard 3 –  All programs must have at least one graduating class of at least five (5) students, that has completed the full program with curriculum content consistent with the intended program application.

Application requirements – The organization will be asked to provide website information and graduate information.

• Instructors: All instructors who are teaching content based on the ICF definition of coaching, ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics must hold one of the three ICF Credentials (ACC, PCC or MCC). Those that are teaching other optional content not related to the ICF Core Competencies, definition of coaching or the Code of Ethics are not required to hold an ICF Credential.
• Observers: All those serving as observers of student coaching sessions, and those responsible for providing written feedback, must hold one of the three ICF Credentials (ACC, PCC or MCC).
• Application requirements: The training organization will be required to submit a list of all their faculty members, noting each person’s current ICF Credential level. The organization will also need to describe the processes in place to train instructors and observers, as well as the process to evaluate these faculty members. Please know that if faculty members listed on the application do not hold an ICF Credential there could be a delay in application review or the application could be denied.

The organization will be asked to document all of the classes that make up the full intended program. The following details are required for each class:

• Title
• Brief description
• Hours spent teaching
• Core Competencies taught
• Primary delivery method

ICF considers observed coaching sessions a vital component of quality coach training. ACSTH programs are required to provide a minimum of five (5) observed coaching sessions for each student. Written feedback must be provided for at least three (3) of the five sessions.

• Observed coaching session definition: Sessions in which a student is coaching any client, fellow student or another person as a method for practicing their coaching skills.
  Time requirement: ICF does not have a minimum length requirement for observed coaching sessions. Sessions should be long enough for a coaching conversation.
• Structure: Observed coaching sessions are observed by an instructor/observer who is responsible for providing written feedback to the student, noting the student’s use of the ICF Core Competencies in the coaching session. These sessions may be observed live or through a recorded session. Observed coaching sessions count as part of the total instructional hours of the program.
• Application requirements: The organization will be asked to submit one example of a recorded observed coaching session, and the corresponding written feedback for the submitted recording.

Confidentiality

Organization should only be submitting recordings for which they have received explicit permission from the client/student to submit recording/s of their coaching sessions to be reviewed by ICF staff and performance evaluation assessors for the purposes of assessing the quality and methods of the coaching.

ICF will request the following information to support an ACSTH application:

• Course outlines
• Student materials
• Instructor materials
• Bibliographies
• PowerPoint slides/other graphic handouts
• One (1) recording (MP3, WMA or WAV) of an observed coaching session
• Written feedback and word-for-word transcript of the submitted observed coaching session

Please know that in total, this application can hold up to one (1) Gigabyte (GB) of data. If you exceed this size limit, the application will not be submitted.

Detailed statements of agreement, compliance and limitation, duty to notify and payment agreements are included in the sample application and online ACSTH program application. Applicants must consent to these agreements as part of the application process.

30-100 Program Hours
$1,500 USD review fee

101-175 Program Hours
$2,000 USD review fee

176+ Program Hours
$3,000 USD review fee

*ACSTH application fees are non-refundable and do not guarantee program accreditation. ACSTH accreditation is valid for three calendar years.

Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) accreditation is intended for coach training providers who are interested in having their training program accredited by ICF.

ACTP accredited programs are considered “all inclusive” training programs, which offer start to finish coach training. A minimum of 125 student contact hours, Mentor Coaching and a performance evaluation process are required for ACTP approval.

Graduates of an ACTP program may apply for an individual ICF Credential via the ACTP credential application path.

ACTP programs are required to have at least 125 student contact hours. At least 50% of all training must be delivered in synchronous activities and 80% focused on the ICF Core Competencies. The remaining 50% of the training program can be delivered asynchronously and remaining 20% focused on subjects not directly related to the ICF Core Competencies.

• Student contact hours: Clock hours spent in synchronous (real-time) interactions between faculty and students. This may include time spent in direct instruction, real-time discussions, observation and feedback or practice coaching sessions, and mentoring students.
• Homework/Independent study: Clock hours spent outside of real-time interaction between faculty and students (asynchronous). These may include outside reading, writing, research, journaling, practice coaching and various other activities that may occur outside of the synchronous setting. All asynchronous hours require some method of validating that the activity was completed by the student.
• Application requirements: The organization will be asked to document the number of hours their training program offers and provide a list of all classes being offered.

The following operational standards must be met by all programs. Should any of the below standards not be met by the training organization, or if ICF determines that there is not sufficient support to determine compliance with any of these standards, the application will be denied and the contact person listed in the application will be notified.

Operational Standard 1 – All programs are required to have a publicly accessible website that includes a comprehensive explanation of what the training program offers. The website must include:

• Title of the program
• General program vision and goals
• List of classes/modules/parts
• Number of student contact hours included in program
• Learning goals
• Coaching philosophy/model/approach
• Listing of lead instructors
• Dates and locations of when and where the program is to be delivered
• Language(s) that are used in program delivery
• How the program is delivered (e.g. face-to-face, webinar, telephonic, combination)
• Intended participants
• Requirements students must meet to enter the program
• Policies on payment of tuition and fees
• Policies on withdrawals and refunds

Operational Standard 2 – All programs must have been in operation for a minimum of six (6) months as established by the first time the program was delivered to students with curriculum content consistent with the intended program application.

Operational Standard 3 – All programs must have at least one graduating class of at least five (5) students, that has completed the full program with curriculum content consistent with the intended program application.

Application requirements – The organization will be asked to provide website information and graduate information.

The organization will be asked to document all of the classes that make up the full intended program. The following details are required for each class:

• Title
• Brief description
• Hours spent teaching
• Core Competencies taught
• Primary delivery method

Instructors: All instructors who are teaching content based on the ICF definition of coaching, ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics must hold one of the three ICF Credentials (ACC, PCC or MCC). Those teaching other optional content not related to the ICF Core Competencies, definition of coaching or the Code of Ethics are not required to hold an ICF Credential.

• Observers: All those serving as observers of student coaching sessions, and those responsible for providing written feedback, must hold one of the three ICF Credentials (ACC, PCC or MCC).
• Mentors: All mentors must hold an ICF Credential at the PCC or MCC level. Mentors must competently understand the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics.
• Performance evaluation reviewers: All performance evaluation reviewers must hold an ICF Credential at the PCC or MCC level. Performance evaluation reviewers must competently understand the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics.
• Application requirements: The training organization will be required to submit a list of all of their faculty members, noting each person’s current ICF Credential level. The organization will also need to describe the processes in place to train instructors and observers, as well as the process to evaluate these faculty members. Please know that if faculty members listed on the application do not hold an ICF Credential there could be a delay in application review or the application could be denied.

The Director of Training provides oversight of the curriculum, instructional processes, training of instructors and all observation and examination processes.

• Specific job responsibilities:
  • Curriculum and class offerings: ensures the curriculum being taught is the same as the curriculum accredited by ICF as a part of the submitted ACTP application.
  • Instructional process: ensures content is delivered by methods noted in the submitted ACTP application (Live interaction instead of self-study.), and also that all time requirements for classes are met.
  • Training of instructors: trains program instructors in alignment with the Train the Trainer program outlined in the submitted ACTP application.
  • Examination processes: ensures performance evaluation process is being followed exactly as noted in the submitted ACTP application.
• Structure:
  • Directors must hold an active ICF PCC or MCC credential and subscribe to the ICF definition of coaching, Code of Ethics and Core Competencies.
• Application requirements:
  • The organization will be required to document who the Director of Training is and their current ICF Credential level.

ICF considers observed coaching sessions a vital component of quality coach training. ACTP programs are required to provide a minimum of six (6) observed coaching sessions for each student. Written feedback must be provided for at least four (4) of the six sessions.

• Observed coaching session definition: Sessions in which a student is coaching any client, fellow student or another person as a method for practicing their coaching skills.
• Time requirement: ICF does not have a minimum length requirement for observed coaching sessions. Sessions should be long enough for a coaching conversation.
• Structure: Observed coaching sessions are observed by an instructor/observer who is responsible for providing written feedback to the student, noting the student’s use of the ICF Core Competencies in the coaching session. These sessions may be observed live or through a recorded session. Observed coaching sessions count as part of the total instructional hours of the program.
• Application requirements: The organization will be asked to submit one example of a recorded observed coaching session, and the corresponding written feedback for the submitted recording.
• Confidentiality: Organization should only be submitting recordings for which they have received explicit permission from the client/student to submit recording/s of their coaching sessions to be reviewed by ICF staff and performance evaluation assessors for the purposes of assessing the quality and methods of the coaching.

ACTP programs are required to provide 10 hours of Mentor Coaching over a three (3) month or longer period of time.

• Mentor Coaching definition: a student being coached on their coaching skills rather than on practice building, life balance or other topics unrelated to the development of a student’s coaching skill. Mentoring is intended to serve as a development process for the student that takes place in a repetitive cycle of receiving feedback regarding student coaching, reflecting on this feedback and practicing new skills. The focus must be on the development of skills using the ICF Core Competencies.
• Structure: Minimum of 10 hours of Mentor Coaching. These 10 hours should be integrated into the total program and occur periodically throughout the course of the training. Group mentoring may count for a maximum of seven (7) hours toward the mentoring requirement. The group being mentored may not consist of more than 10 participants. A minimum of three (3) of the 10 mentoring hours must be one-on-one mentoring. All Mentor Coaching should be completed verbally.
• Application requirements: The organization will be asked to supply a description of the Mentor Coaching process used within the training program.

ACTP programs must administer a final performance evaluation in a formal testing environment. The final performance evaluation must, at a minimum, contain an actual observation of coaching at least one half-hour (30 minutes) in length which is graded as a final performance evaluation.

• Standards: The performance evaluation must be graded at or above the ICF Credential PCC level, which is described in the minimum skill requirements for PCC. Students must receive written feedback/scoring for their performance evaluation that provides information regarding their performance on each of the ICF Core Competencies. Performance evaluation reviewers must hold an ICF Credential at the PCC or MCC level and competently understand the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics.
• Application requirements: The organization will be required to:
  • Document the performance evaluation process and grading criteria used for the final performance evaluation;
  • Document the start date for a class of students that has completed the program including the performance evaluation process and when they graduated;
  • Submit two (2) recordings of an actual student coaching session that was used for the final performance evaluation and received a passing evaluation. Coaching demonstrations by faculty members cannot be submitted for evaluation.
  • Submit the written feedback for these recordings.
• Procedure: Performance Evaluation recordings will be sent to qualified ICF Assessors to be evaluated. This process is to ensure that the recording was assessed at the PCC Credential level within the program. If the recording does not pass at the PCC Credential level, the organization will be able to resubmit new recordings for a fee of $150 USD. This retake process can be completed a total of two (2) times. If the recordings still do not receive passing scores at that time, the training program will not be awarded the ACTP accreditation, but instead, will be awarded the ACSTH accreditation, provided that all other application requirements have been met.

ICF will request the following information to support an ACTP application:

• Course outlines
• Student materials
• Instructor materials
• Bibliographies
• PowerPoint slides/other graphic handouts
• One (1) recording (MP3, WMA or WAV) of an observed coaching session
• Written feedback and word-for-word transcript of the submitted observed session
• Two (2) recordings (MP3, WMA or WAV) of a performance evaluation in which a student passed at the PCC level
• Written feedback and word-for-word transcript for both performance evaluation recordings submitted

Please know that in total, this application can hold up to one (1) Gigabyte (GB) of data. If you exceed this size limit, the application will not be submitted.

Detailed statements of agreement, compliance and limitation, duty to notify and payment agreements are included in the sample application and online ACTP program application. Applicants must consent to these agreements as part of the application process.

125-175 Program Hours
$2,000 USD review fee + $300 USD** Performance Evaluation process review fee

176+ Program Hours
$3,000 USD review fee + $300 USD** Performance Evaluation process review fee

*ACTP application fees are non-refundable and do not guarantee program accreditation. ACTP accreditation is valid for three calendar years.

**Includes review of two performance evaluation recordings.

Continuing Coach Education (CCE) is intended for education organizations and institutions who are interested in having their education and training program accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). CCE is considered supplemental and continuing education for those wishing to acquire new learning and/or those who are renewing their ICF Credential. 

Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units are earned upon completing Continuing Coach Education. CCE units are awarded in two categories: 

• Core Competencies: Supplemental and continuing coach education that directly relates to or expands upon the ICF Core Competencies 
• Resource Development: Education in skills that contribute to a coach’s professional development (e.g., personal development, coaching tools or assessments, business building, or other material that falls outside the ICF Core Competencies) 

If you are delivering educational content that only qualifies as Resource Development CCE (education in personal development, coaching assessments or tools, business building, or other material that falls outside of the ICF Core Competencies), you are not eligible for the CCE Accreditation Process. 

You will not be granted the same privileges as an officially accredited CCE provider (i.e. permission to use CCE logo and a listing on ICF Training Program Search Service.) 

You may award RD CCE units via your own certificate, letter or email on letterhead with participant name, name of the event/class, date, and number of hours completed. 

• Organization Details: Name of organization, mailing address, website, and telephone number. 
• Organization Description: Brief description of the organization that is delivering the education and training program. Keep in mind this information will be used for ICF review and will also be posted to the Training Program Search Service (TPSS) for prospective participants. 
• Contact Information: Contact information for the ICF application contact. This person, and only this person, will be contacted by ICF regarding the application process. This person agrees to ensure that the organization adheres to all CCE Accreditation criteria, ICF Coaching Education Accreditation Code of Conduct, and the ICF Code of Ethics. 

Please provide a brief description of the program being offered and the delivery method in which they are offered.

You may choose one of the following options: 

• Synchronous Learning (SL) refers to a learning environment allowing synchronous (real-time) interactions between faculty and participants. This may include time spent in direct instruction, real-time discussions, observation and feedback or practice coaching sessions, and mentoring participants. SL CCE may be delivered live via lecture, telephone conference, or webinar. 
• Asynchronous Learning (AL) refers to a learning environment outside of real-time interaction between faculty and participants. These may include outside reading, writing, research, journaling, and various other activities that may occur outside of the synchronous setting. Any education and training programs that offer 100% of their program in AL, will not be qualified to submit a CCE application at this time. 
• Blended Learning (BL) refers to a learning environment in which training is delivered through a combination of both Synchronous Learning and Asynchronous Learning. For more information, please refer to the ICF Blended Learning Requirements. 

Please provide the following details: 

• Language(s) in which your education program is delivered 
• Target audience for your organization 
• Learning objectives (i.e., what participants will learn from your education program) 
• Requirement’s participants must meet to receive a certificate of completion 
• How participant attendance is monitored 
• Location(s) and date(s) the education and training will be delivered 

CCE applicants are required to provide a detailed schedule with instructional time for the education program submitted for accreditation. Please ensure the schedule contains the following: 

• Number of hours spent in each session (e.g., 2.5 hours). Do not include breaks. 
• Instructional time; i.e., actual clock time spent in each session (e.g., 8–10:30 a.m.). Do not include breaks. 
• Name of instructor delivering that portion of learning 
• Description of the content being covered and the method of delivery 
• CCE category (i.e., Core Competency or Resource Development) 

Download a sample detailed course schedule below. Using this form will make the CCE accreditation review process easier and more efficient. 

Please upload a document with the following information for each instructor delivering the CCE program: 

• Coaching credentials and experience 
• Educational background 
• Education/Training experience 

ICF does not require that CCE instructors hold an ICF Credential. 

Course materials must be uploaded with the CCE Accreditation Application. Please submit at least one of the following: 

• Course materials (participant or instructor’s manual, handouts, PowerPoints, or any other materials for your course) 
• Promotional materials (fliers, brochures, or any other marketing pieces for your course) 

Course materials may be submitted in the following file formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .csv, .txt, .rtf, .html, .zip, .mp3, .wma, .mpg, .flv, .avi, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .xlsx. 

Detailed statements of agreement, compliance and limitation, duty to notify and payment agreements are included in the sample application and online CCE accreditation application. Applicants must consent to these agreements as part of the application process. 

All applications must be submitted using the application available via the link above. Applications submitted via email will not be accepted. ICF CCE Accreditation Application review normally takes four weeks. To properly publicize your event, we suggest that you submit the application at least 90 days (about 3 months) in advance. 

ICF Chapters can use the CCE Chapter Application linked below.

1–12 Contact Hours
$200 USD 

13–24 Contact Hours
$400 USD 

25–36 Contact Hours
$600 USD 

37–48 Contact Hours
$800 USD 

49–60 Contact Hours
$1,000 USD 

61-plus Contact Hours
$1,500 USD 

CCE accreditation application fees are non-refundable and do not guarantee accreditation approval. CCE accreditation is valid for one calendar year.