ABAI-Accredited Programs: The Full 2026 List, Online Included

ABAI-accredited programs are the ABA degrees that passed the Association for Behavior Analysis International's full accreditation review. As of October 4, 2026, ABAI's directory lists 45 accredited master's programs at 37 U.S. universities, and 8 of them are online. An accredited master's is Pathway 1 to the BCBA. It's the cleanest route, but it isn't the only one.

Some program lists still use retired labels from the old course-sequence system, or call a program accredited when ABAI's directory doesn't list it. This one is built straight from ABAI's own pages, with each program's format and the year its accreditation term ends. It also covers the second list most guides skip: programs ABAI recognizes at Tier 2a, which count for Pathway 1 too.

What ABAI Accreditation Means for Your BCBA

The BACB gives you two ways to meet the degree and coursework requirements for the BCBA. Per the BACB's university training page:

• Pathway 1, accredited degree. Your master's comes from a program that is ABAI-accredited, ABAI-recognized at Tier 2a or 2b, or accredited by the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA). That degree covers your coursework and degree requirements in one go.
• Pathway 2, behavior-analytic coursework. You hold a master's and complete behavior-analytic coursework at a school with an authorized Pathway 2 Program Contact, who attests to the BACB that you finished it.

Pathway 2 replaced the old Verified Course Sequence. ABAI discontinued the VCS system, and the BACB now runs a Pathway 2 Coursework Attestation System instead, so a school that says its courses are "VCS approved" is describing something that no longer exists. Our BCBA requirements checklist walks through the rest of what you need: fieldwork, the exam and the application.

Accreditation is the bigger review. Programs submit a self-study, host a site visit, and ABAI's board votes on each one and publishes the decision. The trade-off is choice: the accredited list is short, so if cost is driving your search, you'll be looking at Pathway 2 programs too. Our cheapest online BCBA programs ranking is the place to start.

Online ABAI-Accredited Programs

This is the short list most people are looking for. ABAI lists 8 accredited master's programs as online and 6 as hybrid. "Hybrid" means some in-person time, so check the campus schedule before you count one as remote.

Two of these terms end on December 31, 2026: Montana State University Billings (online) and Salem State University (hybrid). Salem State's re-accreditation application is under review with ABAI, received 03/20/2026, and a program under re-accreditation review stays accredited while ABAI decides. If you're applying to either one, ask the program where its renewal stands. The section on who's applying explains why the date matters for your BCBA application.

Our best online ABA programs ranking compares online options beyond this list.

Every ABAI-Accredited Master's Program in the U.S.

All 45 U.S. master's programs ABAI accredits, as of October 4, 2026. Some universities have more than one accredited program, usually a campus version and an online one, and ABAI accredits each separately.

Program names don't always say "ABA." The University of Maryland, Baltimore County's accredited program is an MA in Human Services Psychology, and the University of Kansas's is an MA in Applied Behavioral Science. To compare master's programs on more than accreditation, see our ABA master's programs ranking.

ABAI-Accredited Doctoral and Bachelor's Programs

ABAI accredits 11 doctoral programs, and every one is on campus.

For how these compare on funding, length and research focus, see our ABA doctoral programs ranking.

ABAI accredits 6 U.S. bachelor's programs. An accredited bachelor's doesn't make you BCBA-eligible on its own, since every BCBA pathway needs a graduate degree, but it can set you up for the BCaBA. Our BCaBA requirements guide covers that route.

ABAI-Recognized Programs: The Other Pathway 1 List

ABAI runs a second review called the Tiered Model. Accreditation is Tier 1, and ABAI publishes recognized programs at the lower tiers on a separate page. The BACB counts a master's recognized at Tier 2a or 2b as Pathway 1, the same as an accredited one. As of October 4, 2026, 19 U.S. master's programs hold Tier 2a recognition, and 7 of them name an online format.

Three of these are provisional recognitions: Oakland, SUNY Downstate and Touro. ABAI lists them as "Provisional Recognition through" the year shown. Ask the program to confirm in writing how the BACB treats a provisional status before you enroll.

Who's Applying for ABAI Accreditation Right Now

ABAI publishes the programs that are in the accreditation queue, with the date each application arrived. These programs are not accredited yet, and ABAI is specific about what each status means:

• Eligible to apply means the program passed a preliminary eligibility check. ABAI says eligibility "does not denote accredited status."
• Under review for initial accreditation means a site visit or board decision is pending. These programs are not accredited.
• Under review for re-accreditation is different. An accredited program stays accredited through the process.

The dates on this page matter for one reason. For Pathway 1, the BACB requires that your transcript shows "the degree was conferred during the dates the program was accredited." Accreditation on the day you enroll doesn't settle it. The program has to be accredited on the day your degree is conferred.

That cuts both ways. A program on this applications list could be accredited by the time you graduate, but it isn't yet, and nothing guarantees it will be. And an accredited program whose term ends before your graduation date needs to be re-accredited in time. If either applies to you, plan on Pathway 2 as the backup and confirm the program has a Pathway 2 Program Contact who can attest to your coursework.

How to Check a Program's ABAI Accreditation Yourself

Schools describe this loosely, and three different claims get marketed in the same words: regional accreditation of the university, ABAI accreditation of the program, and BACB-qualifying coursework. Only the middle one is ABAI accreditation. To check a program yourself:

1. Find the university in ABAI's accredited programs directory. Open its page and match the exact program name and format. A university can have an accredited campus program and an online program that isn't.
2. Read the "Accredited through" date and compare it with your expected graduation date.
3. If it isn't there, check the recognized programs page for a Tier 2a or 2b listing.
4. If it's on neither list, it's a Pathway 2 program. That's fine for the BCBA. Ask who the Pathway 2 Program Contact is.

Accreditation tells you a program met ABAI's standards. It doesn't tell you how its graduates do on the BCBA exam. For that, see our BCBA exam pass rates by school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. ABAI Accreditation Board, Accredited Programs directory and per-institution pages: programs, modality, accreditation terms, applications (retrieved October 4, 2026)
2. ABAI, Tiered Model of Education: Recognized Programs, tiers and recognition terms (retrieved October 4, 2026)
3. BACB, University Training for Those Pursuing BCBA Certification: Pathways 1 and 2, conferral-date rule, Pathway 2 attestation (retrieved October 4, 2026)