The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) accredits professional-level interior design education programs in the United States and elsewhere. Accreditation is voluntary and is awarded to a program, not to an institution as a whole.
Program and location
A CIDA listing names an institution, a program and a place. Do not assume that every program at an accredited institution is covered, or that a branch campus offering the same degree is covered. On this site, CIDA accreditation is shown only for the program and location named on the register or on an official page.
Accreditation, candidacy and probation
The register shows the year of the last accreditation decision and the year of the next review. Candidacy is a separate status for programs that have applied and are under review; it is not accreditation. Some listings carry a note, such as a probationary status. We record status exactly as published and keep candidacy separate.
Institutional accreditation is different
Regional or national institutional accreditors review the whole institution. Institutional accreditation says nothing about the recognition of an individual interior design program. The two are recorded separately.
What accreditation does not mean
It is not a ranking and does not guarantee admission, employment or licensure. Programs without CIDA accreditation can still be legitimate education, and CIDA accreditation is not the only route to professional examination. See Education, experience and NCIDQ Certification.
Check the current CIDA register, which is updated after the commission’s meetings.
Official sources
- Council for Interior Design Accreditation: accredited programs · accessed 3 November 2026