Program

Accreditation, credit recommendations, and credit

Three different things that get used interchangeably. Written for registrars and academic affairs, with the transfer question answered honestly rather than optimistically.

The short version

The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) is a leadership honor society accredited by Cognia. Three of its courses (FOL 102, ADV 202, and EXEC 302) carry credit recommendations from ACE and NCCRS.

A credit recommendation is not credit. It is a third-party evaluation recommending how much credit a course could be worth. Whether any of it becomes credit on a transcript is decided by the institution the student attends, under that institution's own policies. The NSLS states that the process of transferring credit recommendations varies by institution, and directs students to their registrar.

Definitions

Three terms, three different scopes

Accreditation (Cognia)

Applies to the organization and how it delivers programming. The NSLS describes its Cognia accreditation as a seal of excellence in delivering industry-leading programming. It says nothing about credit at your institution.

Credit recommendation (ACE, NCCRS)

Applies to a specific course. A third-party evaluator reviews the coursework and recommends how much credit it could be worth. A recommendation is an opinion offered to institutions, not an award to a student.

Credit

Applies to a transcript, and only your institution can put it there. Credit exists when your registrar grants it under your transfer and equivalency policies, not when a recommendation is issued.

The curriculum

Three levels, two pathways each

Every level offers a certificate course and a credit-recommended course. The credit-recommended course carries the ACE and NCCRS recommendation; the certificate course does not, and does not need to.

NSLS curriculum levels, comparing the certificate pathway with the credit-recommended pathway
Level	Certificate course	Credit-recommended course	Credit recommendation
Foundations of Leadership	FOL 101: completing Foundations produces induction	FOL 102	Up to 3 college credit recommendations
Advanced Leadership	ADV 201: covers the NSLS 9 Principles	ADV 202: community team project plus a DISC assessment	Up to 3 college credit recommendations
Executive Leadership	EXEC 301, "Better Me: Better World" project	EXEC 302, "Better Community: Better World" project	Up to 3 college credit recommendations
Average time to complete	About 10 hours	About 30 hours	Up to three semesters allowed for coursework

Course names, pathways, average hours, and credit-recommendation amounts: nsls.org/leadership-education-programs. Credit-recommended course list: nsls.org/credit-reciprocity. In every row, a recommendation is a recommendation; it is not credit, and it is not a commitment by any institution.

How transfer actually works

Five things to tell a student before they ask you

This is the part most descriptions skip, and the part your office will be asked about.

A recommendation is an evaluation, not an award

ACE and NCCRS evaluate the coursework and publish a recommendation for how much credit it could be worth. Neither organization awards credit, and neither can oblige an institution to accept anything.

Your institution decides, course by course

A credit recommendation is evaluated the way any external credit request is evaluated at your institution, against your own transfer, residency, and equivalency policies. The NSLS states that the process of transferring credit recommendations varies by institution.

The student goes to the registrar

The NSLS directs students to their registrar to begin that evaluation. We do not initiate it on a student’s behalf, and we do not represent an outcome to them in advance.

There is no list of accepting institutions

No public list exists of institutions that have accepted these recommendations. If a student asks whether their credit will transfer, the accurate answer is that only their institution can say.

The certificate pathway does not depend on any of this

Students who take the certificate courses receive a certificate and, at the Foundations level, induction. That outcome is not contingent on a credit decision anywhere, which is why most students never encounter the transfer question at all.

Institutional standing

What else an academic reviewer usually checks

NASPA, since 2017

The NSLS has partnered with NASPA since 2017, which puts it inside the professional association your student affairs colleagues already belong to.

CHEA / CIQG, since 2020

A CHEA and CIQG partnership since 2020, relevant context for a reviewer evaluating an organization's quality-assurance posture rather than its marketing.

Certified B Corporation

The NSLS is a Certified B Corporation, an independently verified standard covering governance and accountability.

None of these three is an accreditation, and none of them bears on a credit decision. They are included because academic reviewers ask about organizational standing, and because listing them alongside accreditation without distinguishing them would be misleading.

Talk through your campus goals

Explore the program, responsibilities, and next steps with our partnerships team.

Questions registrars and academic affairs ask

Is the National Society of Leadership and Success accredited?

Yes. The NSLS is an accredited leadership honor society, accredited by Cognia, which the NSLS describes as a seal of excellence in delivering industry-leading programming. Accreditation of the organization is separate from any credit decision about its courses. Source: nsls.org/accreditation-and-recommendation-service-providers.

What is an ACE credit recommendation, and is it the same as college credit?

It is not the same as college credit. ACE is the American Council on Education. An ACE credit recommendation is a third-party evaluation of a course that recommends how much college credit that course could be worth. It is a recommendation only. It does not award credit, it does not guarantee that any institution will grant credit, and it does not create an obligation for a receiving institution. Whether it results in credit is decided by the institution the student attends.

What is NCCRS?

NCCRS is the National College Credit Recommendation Service. Like ACE, it evaluates learning delivered outside of degree-granting institutions and publishes credit recommendations that institutions may choose to consider. Also like ACE, it issues recommendations rather than credit. Three NSLS courses carry credit recommendations from ACE and NCCRS.

Which NSLS courses carry credit recommendations?

Three: FOL 102 at the Foundations of Leadership level, ADV 202 at the Advanced Leadership level, and EXEC 302 at the Executive Leadership level. Each carries up to three college credit recommendations. A credit recommendation is not credit: the NSLS states that the process of transferring credit recommendations varies by institution. Sources: nsls.org/credit-reciprocity and nsls.org/leadership-education-programs.

How would a student have an NSLS credit recommendation evaluated at our institution?

Through your registrar. The NSLS states that the process of transferring credit recommendations varies by institution, and directs students to their registrar to begin. No public list exists of institutions that have accepted these recommendations, so nobody can tell a student in advance whether credit will be granted. Your policies decide the outcome.

What is the difference between the certificate pathway and the credit-recommended pathway?

Each of the three levels has both. The certificate course averages about 10 hours and ends in a certificate; completing the Foundations level is what produces induction. The credit-recommended course averages about 30 hours, covers additional work such as a community team project and a DISC assessment at the Advanced level, and carries a credit recommendation from ACE and NCCRS that a student may present to their institution. A certificate outcome does not depend on any credit decision. Learners have up to three semesters to complete coursework.

Sources. Accreditation, credit-recommendation providers, the NASPA partnership (2017), the CHEA/CIQG partnership (2020), and B Corp certification: nsls.org/accreditation-and-recommendation-service-providers. The credit-recommended course list and the statement that the process of transferring credit recommendations varies by institution: nsls.org/credit-reciprocity. Course levels, pathways, projects, the 9 Principles, average hours, credit-recommendation amounts, and the three-semester completion window: nsls.org/leadership-education-programs. Descriptions of ACE and NCCRS here are limited to their names and their function as credit-recommendation services; for their own evaluation criteria, consult ACE and NCCRS directly.