Homeopathy School Accreditation Explained: ACHENA, CHC and NASH

When you compare homeopathy schools in the USA, you will see the words accredited, certified, registered and internationally recognized used side by side. They come from different organizations and mean different things. This guide explains what ACHENA, the Council for Homeopathic Certification (CHC) and the North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH) each do, how state law fits in, and how to check a school’s claims. It is a companion to our guide on how to choose a homeopathy school.

Three organizations, three different jobs

ACHENA reviews schools and programs, the CHC examines and certifies individual homeopaths, and NASH is a membership society for homeopaths and schools. The table sets them side by side.

What ACHENA accredits

ACHENA accredits schools and programs that prepare professional homeopaths. It describes itself as an independent accreditation agency, established in 1982, that accredits “institutions and programs that prepare these practitioners”. It also approves continuing education courses.

To be accredited, a school must teach Hahnemannian homeopathy as set out in the 5th and 6th editions of the Organon, and that philosophy has to show in both the teaching and the clinical curriculum. ACHENA’s eligibility criteria refer to practitioner programs of at least 1,000 hours. A school applies with a letter of intent and an eligibility packet, is reviewed by ACHENA peer reviewers and has a site visit. Accreditation runs for five years, and ACHENA’s directory shows the date until which each listed school is “accredited and in good standing”. When we checked in November 2026, the directory listed four accredited programs. ACHENA’s accreditation page also says that, under its process effective August 2026, there is no longer a candidacy period, although the CHC’s eligibility rules still mention schools with ACHENA candidate status.

ACHENA defines accreditation as “a voluntary, peer-reviewed process”, and many schools do not have it. For a student, its main practical effect is on the route to CHC certification: graduates of ACHENA-accredited programs apply to the CHC directly with their transcript. ACHENA also notes that where a state licenses homeopaths, the license may require graduation from an accredited school, so check the education rules of any state where you plan to seek a license.

Is ACHENA recognized by the U.S. Department of Education?

No. ACHENA does not appear on the U.S. Department of Education’s lists of recognized institutional and programmatic accrediting agencies, or in the Department’s accreditation database (checked November 2026), and no homeopathy accreditor appears there. ACHENA’s own website does not claim federal recognition. ACHENA accreditation is a voluntary, professional accreditation used by the homeopathy field in North America, not a federal one.

What the CHC requires for the CCH credential

The CHC certifies people, not schools. It awards the CCH (Certified Classical Homeopath) credential to homeopaths who meet its education requirements and pass its exam. There is no such thing as a “CHC-accredited school”: what a school can show is that its graduates meet the CHC’s education requirements and have passed the exam.

According to the CHC’s eligibility requirements, you need:

• Education: 1,000 hours of a sequential, comprehensive homeopathic program, made up of 500 hours of theory and foundations (including materia medica, repertory, posology, ethics, case taking and case analysis) and 500 hours of clinical training.
• Supervised cases: at least 10 cases you take and manage independently, each with two follow-ups, under supervision. On the PQE route the supervisor must be a CCH.
• Science: college-level courses in Anatomy & Physiology and Human Pathology.
• Attestations: signed statements on fitness to practice, the CHC Code of Professional Ethics, client healthcare rights and exam confidentiality.
• The exam: it is offered twice a year, in April and October, and you must be physically in the USA or Canada on exam day, whether you test at a center or online.
• Keeping the credential: CCH holders recertify every year, with 15 continuing education units per year.

There are two routes to the exam. Graduates of ACHENA-accredited programs, programs approved by the College of Homeopaths of Ontario (CHO) and schools with ACHENA candidate status send their transcript and apply directly. Graduates of any other program, including programs outside North America, go through the Pre-Qualification Evaluation (PQE) first. On this route a committee checks your transcript and course descriptions against the 1,000 hours, and the clinical half must be documented as 250 hours of clinical observation and 250 hours of clinical analysis. Certificates from stand-alone courses or seminars are not accepted, and the CHC may ask you to have foreign education evaluated by a service such as AACRAO, ECE or WES.

What NASH is, and what it is not

NASH, the North American Society of Homeopaths, is a professional membership society, not an accreditor. It describes itself as “dedicated to promoting, representing, and serving as the voice of all professional homeopaths in North America”, and its members include registered homeopaths, students, schools and associates.

• RSHom(NA) registration is NASH’s designation for practicing homeopaths. It asks for at least 500 hours of homeopathic training plus 500 hours of clinical work, college-level anatomy, pathology and psychology, at least two years of practice, and cases for review (the standard route is ten chronic cases with six months of follow-up; CCH holders can apply with five independently taken cases). See NASH’s registered membership page.
• School membership is open to schools whose programs prepare students to be professional homeopaths, with at least 500 hours of classical homeopathy and 500 hours of clinical application. Faculty should include NASH registered members. Member schools get a listing in the NASH schools directory, which NASH calls “a promotional listing of schools”.

NASH states that it “does not endorse any particular School Member”. A NASH listing tells you that a school meets NASH’s membership criteria; it is not accreditation. NASH also reminds readers that credentials such as the CCH are not state licenses: in its words, no title “is a license to practice homeopathy” unless a state or federal agency issues it.

How state laws affect practice

There is no federal license for homeopaths, so whether and how you may practice depends on the state. Accreditation and certification do not change that.

• Unlicensed-practice (“health freedom”) laws: some states let people without a medical license offer complementary care, including homeopathy, under conditions. In California you do not need a license to practice homeopathy, but you must say in your advertising and in writing to each client that you are not licensed by the state (state FAQ). Minnesota lists homeopathy as a complementary and alternative health care practice; unlicensed practitioners must give each client a written client bill of rights and may not use the title “doctor” or “physician” to describe their practices (Minn. Stat. ch. 146A).
• Homeopathic licensing boards: NASH names three states with homeopathic medical boards. Some of these license only medical or osteopathic physicians, and each sets its own education requirements, so a license there depends on that state’s rules, not on accreditation or certification alone.
• Everywhere else: homeopathy may not be named in state law at all, so read your state’s medical practice act.

For the state-by-state detail and how certification fits around it, see how to become a homeopath in the USA. This is general information, not legal advice; laws change, so check the current rules where you plan to practice.

What “internationally recognized” means

Many schools outside North America hold recognition from universities, ministries or professional bodies in other countries. It can be a real sign of quality, but it applies to a specific course, usually in a specific country or profession. On its own it does not make a program accredited in the USA, and it does not give you a right to practice here.

If you are a graduate of an international program, the CHC assesses your education through the PQE route described above, on the same 1,000-hour standard. When a school says it is internationally recognized, ask:

• Which body gave the recognition, and in which country?
• Which course does it cover, and is that the course you would take?
• Where can you check it on that body’s own website?
• What does it let graduates do in the USA, if anything?

Red flags

• A school says it is “accredited” but does not name the accrediting body, or names a body you cannot find.
• It claims ACHENA accreditation, but the program is not in ACHENA’s directory, or its “good standing” date has passed.
• It calls itself “CHC-accredited” or “CHC-approved”. The CHC certifies individuals, not schools.
• It presents a NASH listing or membership as accreditation or an endorsement.
• It claims federal, Department of Education or “government” accreditation for a homeopathy program.
• It says graduates will be “licensed” or “board certified” simply by graduating, or that the diploma is a license.
• It mentions international recognition without naming the body and the course.
• It says graduates qualify for the CHC exam but cannot tell you which route they use or point to graduates who have passed.

How IACH North America fits

IACH North America (Vithoulkas College) runs the 3-year practitioner program of the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy, founded by Prof. George Vithoulkas, for students in the USA and Canada. Here is how it relates to the bodies above, based on the program overview and the catalog:

• Hours: 1,000+ hours over three years, with at least 500 classroom hours and at least 500 clinical hours.
• Supervised cases: 10 chronic cases you take yourself, each with two follow-ups and followed for at least six months, under supervision.
• CHC: graduates receive the IACH Diploma in Homeopathy. IACH graduates are currently eligible to sit the CHC exam: they apply as graduates of a program outside the USA or Canada, through the CHC’s PQE transcript review. A graduate of the 2020–2023 class passed the spring 2024 CHC exam and became a CCH.
• NASH: IACH shows students how to register with NASH.
• Faculty: the primary instructor, Cristina Horvath, IACH DIHom, holds the CCH, and the program coordinator, Dan Horvath, IACH DIHom, is RSHom(NA) and CCH.
• Practice: the diploma certifies knowledge; it does not by itself give the right to practice, which depends on your state.

To compare it with other programs, use the checklist in how to choose a homeopathy school, then see the admissions process.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Checked in November 2026. Requirements change, so confirm them with each organization before you decide.

• ACHENA: about ACHENA, accreditation, accredited school directory and FAQs on accreditation, certification and licensure
• U.S. Department of Education: institutional accrediting agencies, programmatic accrediting agencies and the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
• Council for Homeopathic Certification: eligibility requirements, exam overview and recertification
• North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH): homeopathic education, registered membership, school membership and schools directory
• California: unlicensed or homeopathic practice FAQ (Business and Professions Code §§2053.5–2053.6)
• Minnesota: Statutes chapter 146A
• IACH North America: program overview and catalog