Development and Quality

CEA Accreditation

The English Language Institute Preparatory Year English Language Program at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) for the period April 2018 through April 2028 and agrees to uphold the CEA Standards for English Language.

CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. and also conducts accreditation activities internationally.

At its April 2018 meeting, the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) reviewed the application for reaccreditation of the King Abdulaziz University English Language Institute Preparatory Year English Language Program (ELI PYELP). CEA granted 10-year reaccreditation to the ELI PYELP. Ten years is the longest period of accreditation that CEA certifies for reaccredited programs.

The Commission seeks to determine that it provides the student services and programs described in its materials; is student-centered; provides a program that supports its mission; and has the resources, fiscal and human, to ensure that students are well served through meeting the CEA standards for English Language Programs and Institutions. The Commission determined that the ELI PYELP meets these requirements and commended ELI for its achievement. CEA sets 44 accreditation standards distributed among 11 standard areas that cover all aspects of English language teaching and administration.

During the ten-year reaccreditation period, ELI has to submit annual reports that confirm continuing compliance with CEA standards. A longer interim report is required in place of the annual report in the 5th year of ten-year reaccreditation (for ELI, by July 2022).

CEA, which is based in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, was founded in 1999 by English language teaching and administration professionals as a specialized accrediting agency that focuses on post-secondary intensive English language programs and institutions. The purpose was to provide a means for improving the quality of English language teaching and administration by establishing accepted standards. In 2003, CEA was recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions. This recognition gave CEA the distinction of being the only specialized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. In 2005, CEA expanded its mission to include the accreditation of English language programs and institutions outside the U.S.

For further information about this accreditation, please contact CEA at:
The Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA)
1001 North Fairfax Street,
Suite 630, Alexandria, VA 22314,
(703)665-3400,
CEA Accreditation
CEA Standards
Complaints Against Accredited Programs and Institutions

NCAAA Quality Assurance

The National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA) provides a comprehensive system for quality assurance and accreditation used throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in higher education institutions and programs. ELI works to meet or exceed all NCAAA quality assurance requirements in order to maintain and improve its accreditation status. To ensure this is accomplished, ELI consistently updates its course specifications to reflect program improvements and changes and informs all affected stakeholders of resulting course modifications.

The ELI Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) organizes and supports the production of NCAAA- mandated course reports for all sections (classes) taught throughout the academic year. As these are completed in accordance with NCAAA guidelines, the QAU then oversees collation of these reports, first for each campus, then for the entire ELI. After the completion of all course reports for Module 2, the QAU submits a report highlighting the trends in data and analyzing the overall quality of the course reporting process. Finally, following the production of the Module 4 course reports at the completion of the academic year, an Annual Program Report is produced, modeled following the NCAAA template, and successfully adapted for ELI use.

NCAAA encourages the process of external accreditation and program review. Within the NCAAA system for quality assurance, external review and international accreditation are key ways in which programs are encouraged to validate their adherence to both NCAAA standards and best practices within their particular fields.