After going through orientation, consultations and administrative preparations, an institution may finally decide to undergo accreditation.  This accreditation will go through a process with three stages:

1. The preparation and submission of a Self-Study Report, which is the subject of this Part of the Manual;
2. The on-site visit to the institution by an external Team of Accreditors; and
3. The review action taken by the on-site visit Team Leader and the NCA concerned on the Final Accreditor's Report and the final approval of the APACC Committee headed by the APACC President.

The Self-Study Report must provide all the data and information that is relevant to answer the questions based on the different criteria, and must contain the institution's self-study of its effectiveness including the identification of its strengths and weaknesses.

The Self-Study Report must be well-prepared.  It must be accurate, complete, and systematically organized in accordance with the APACC-suggested format; and objective in its self-study.

The Self-Study Report format must generally follow the sequence of the Criteria for Evaluation outlined in detail in Part 2.  It will contain three general Sections: the Profile of the Institution, the Criteria-based Data and Self-Study, and the Institutional SWOT Analysis.

In the Criteria-based Data and Self-Study Section of the Self-Study Guide, institutions are also required to accomplish the Annexes provided at the end of the Self-Study Guide.  Tables are given for the institutions to complete.

The detailed Self-Study Guide can be seen at the end of this manual (Appendix I).