Area: Accreditation
Subject: Suspension or Closure of Programs Accredited by CDAC
Board Approval: November 2025
Purpose
The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) is committed to establishing standards for accrediting oral health professional programs to ensure quality education and readiness of practitioners for the workforce.
In certain circumstances, institutions are faced with the decision to suspend a program, either temporarily or permanently. This is considered by CDAC to be a significant program change. During the transition period of teach-out, the program must remain accredited by the CDAC until all students have successfully graduated.
The purpose of this policy is to define the expected actions of an education provider when an accredited program suspends or permanently closes its program and results in students who are currently enrolled being placed in a teach-out of their program.
Overarching Principle
No new students will be enrolled in a program of study which is slated to close under the auspices of being an accredited program and during the teach-out period. Arrangements should be in place to ensure that all existing enrolled students can either complete the program of study and/or be provided support to transition to an alternative program at no disadvantage to the student. During this period, the program must remain accredited with the CDAC, and the program may not enroll additional students in any year of the program. Students who are enrolled and successfully complete the program during the teach-out will be considered graduates of an accredited program, providing the program has met all the accreditation requirements.
Reporting a significant program change
In reporting a significant program change to the CDAC, providers of an accredited program should be aware that CDAC will need to be reassured that the program will continue to meet the standards for the duration of the teach-out period. To do this, a provider notifying the CDAC that a program has entered a period of teach-out is required to report on how it will maintain compliance with the Accreditation Standards (see procedure below).
The CDAC Accreditation Review Committee will consider the report from the program and may request further information or impose one or more recommendations to ensure that the Accreditation Standards continue to be met.
In addition to any specific recommendations imposed on a program during the teach-out period, the program will continue to be subject to the same monitoring conditions as any other CDAC accredited program, notably:
Progress Report
Any program that has outstanding recommendations must continue to report according to existing guidelines until the end of the teach-out period. If a progress report is not submitted, CDAC reserves the right to place the program in an “intent to withdraw” status.
Annual Program Review (APR)
To retain accreditation status until the end of the teach-out period, the program must continue submitting their annual program review (APR). If an APR is not submitted, CDAC reserves the right to place the program in an “intent to withdraw” status.
If the students are still enrolled in the program to conclude their study and the accreditation status is set to expire before the end of the teach out, then the CDAC Accreditation Review Committee will determine if it will be subject to an interim accreditation survey or if the period of accreditation can be extended.
Accreditation Status
CDAC will consider the following factors in determining the accreditation status and the need to conduct or cancel an on-site accreditation survey visit:
- timing of the request to CDAC in relation to the next planned on-site accreditation survey visit
- current accreditation status
- length of the program
Fees
Programs must continue to pay accreditation fees through the end of the teach-out period. Fees may be prorated and reimbursed, if applicable.
Procedure
- The institution must notify CDAC in writing of its intent to suspend its program, including:
- The effective date of program suspension
- The reason for the program suspension or closure
- The anticipated graduation date of the final cohort
- The program’s plans for the entire teach-out period, during which students are enrolled, including a detailed explanation of any significant changes relative to retention of qualified faculty and support personnel, student enrollment by class, the didactic and clinical teaching programs (including curriculum, extramural experiences and facilities), and financial support that will be provided.
- CDAC will issue a formal response outlining:
- The end date of the program’s accreditation
- Any applicable next steps or requirements
Website and Communication
Once the accreditation status of the program expires and the program is no longer accredited, it will be updated on the CDAC website.
The program is required to update all public communications (e.g., website, portals, documents) to reflect the non-accredited status of its program. This includes removing the CDAC accreditation seal and accreditation certificate.
It is the responsibility of the program to communicate to students, faculty and stakeholders that the program is in a period of teach-out.
Process for accreditation application if program is reinstated
If the program wishes to seek accreditation again in the future, a new application is to be submitted to CDAC to reinitiate the accreditation process.
