Pathologists’ Assistant Program Accreditation

The University of Washington’s Pathologists’ Assistant program has received approval from the NWCCU as of Feb 13, 2025. The ultimate goal of the program is to train competent and confident Pathologists’ Assistants, which requires that we achieve accreditation through the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). The program is committed to the following timeline for NAACLS accreditation:

• Obtain NAACLS approval of the Initial Application prior to students arriving on campus (summer 2026).
• Submission of the NAACLS Self-Study at least 3 months prior to the first cohort’s graduation (winter 2028).
• Submission of the Self-Study grants the program “Serious Applicant Status” at which point graduates are eligible to sit for the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification exam.
• The NAACLS Site Visit will occur within 18 months of receiving “Serious Applicant Status” (autumn 2029).
• In accordance with the timeline above, NAACLS’ Initial Accreditation Award should be granted in spring 2030.

For more information, please visit the NAACLS website or contact:

National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
5600 N. River Rd. Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
Telephone: 847.939.3597 or 773.714.8880

Programmatic Outcomes

Attrition Rate: data will be provided once it becomes available

Graduation Rate: data will be provided once it becomes available

Job Placement Rate: data will be provided once it becomes available

ASCP Exam Pass Rate: data will be provided once it becomes available

Professional License or Certification Disclosure

Graduating from this program, once in “Serious Applicant Status” (estimated March 2028), in conjunction with passing the American Society of Clinical Pathology Pathologists’ Assistant Certification Exam will satisfy the requirements for Certification. Graduation alone does not provide a student with certification. Some states, namely New York and Nevada, impose additional licensure requirements on Pathologists’ Assistants.  Each licensing authority sets and enforces its own professional licensing standards.  Every student should inquire directly to the licensing authority in the jurisdiction where the student plans to seek licensure in order to determine the mandatory requirements to be licensed to practice in that state.

The state of Washington (as of March 2026) has no requirements for state licensure for Pathologists’ Assistants and no pending legislation or regulatory activity to that end.

To stay up to date about licensure requirements for Pathologists’ Assistants, please visit the AAPA’s Current State Licensing Requirements page.