valuemd (Admin)
TAU holds two separate accreditations. Students want to know exactly what each one covers, which countries recognize them, and whether holding both gives graduates any practical advantage.
jamesw1177 (Alumni)
okay I want to try and break this down properly because I see a lot of confusion in other threads where people treat ACCM and BAC like they are the same thing or interchangeable and they really are not. ACCM, which stands for the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine, is specifically designed for offshore and international medical schools. it is the body that US based evaluators and state medical boards tend to look at when assessing whether a foreign med school meets a credible standard. the 2029 date just means TAU went through a review cycle and is currently in good standing with an active accreditation, not that everything expires catastrophically in 2029. the BAC, which is the British Accreditation Council, is a UK government recognized accreditation body. it covers independent colleges and higher education providers operating in the UK or with UK facing programs. those two bodies are doing different things and knowing which one matters for which goal is the whole point
georgetaylor (Aspiring student)
this is really helpful context, thank you. so just to make sure i understand, if my goal is to eventually do residency in the US, the ACCM accreditation is the more relevant one to focus on and the BAC is more of a UK thing? or does having the BAC also help in any way with the US path? i ask because TAU markets both together and i genuinely could not tell if both matter for US purposes or if the BAC is kind of extra
rameshchandra6622 (Alumni)
Good question and honestly the marketing around this can be a little misleading so let me try to be straight with you. for the US path, ACCM accreditation is what matters. US state medical boards and ECFMG, which is the body that certifies IMGs to take USMLE and eventually apply for residency, they look at whether your school is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and whether the accrediting body is recognized by NCFMEA, which is a US Department of Education committee. ACCM has that recognition. BAC does not carry weight in the US system in any direct way. where BAC matters is if you are looking at postgraduate training in the UK or if you want your degree to be considered credible by UK institutions. having both is not a disadvantage, it shows the school has been externally reviewed by multiple bodies which is a sign of accountability, but for your US residency application the BAC line on paper does not open any extra doors
