CPEI Affiliates
Answers to common questions about CPEI affiliation, roles and responsibilities, faculty, fees, renewal, public representation, and next steps for interested organizations.
Affiliation Questions
Affiliation with CPEI is a formal relationship that allows eligible organizations to support clinical pastoral education, supervised practice, student formation, and spiritual care learning within CPEI’s educational framework.
These FAQs are intended to help organizations understand the basics before beginning the affiliation process. Specific requirements, responsibilities, fees, and timelines are confirmed through CPEI’s review process and affiliation documentation.
New to affiliation? Review Partner with CPEI, How Affiliation Works, and Become an Affiliate before contacting CPEI.
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Basic questions about what affiliation is and who it is for.
A CPEI affiliate is an organization that enters into a formal relationship with CPEI to support clinical pastoral education, supervised practice, spiritual care formation, or related learning opportunities. Affiliates work within CPEI’s educational framework while providing local context, support, and learning opportunities.
Potential affiliates may include hospitals, health systems, hospices, congregations, ministry settings, community organizations, correctional settings, first responder contexts, nonprofits, and other organizations connected to spiritual care education or supervised practice.
No. Affiliation is a formal partnership relationship with CPEI. It does not mean that the affiliate organization itself is accredited by CPEI or by CPEI’s accreditor. CPEI retains responsibility for its own academic programs, standards, policies, and institutional requirements.
Organizations may affiliate with CPEI to support spiritual care education, create supervised practice opportunities, strengthen chaplaincy formation, participate in a broader learning network, and help expand access to clinical pastoral education.
Questions about what CPEI provides and what affiliates are expected to provide.
CPEI provides the educational framework, standards, competencies, curriculum, policies, student processes, record-keeping systems, faculty approval structure, course monitoring, manuals, handbooks, and affiliate administration needed to support the affiliation relationship.
The affiliate provides the local learning context, organizational cooperation, site-based support, timely communication, appropriate learning opportunities, and local points of contact. Affiliates are also expected to follow CPEI’s applicable curriculum, policies, enrollment expectations, and documentation requirements.
CPEI retains authority over its academic program structure, course requirements, educational standards, student enrollment, student records, evaluation processes, faculty expectations, institutional policies, and official program descriptions.
The affiliate retains authority over its own employment decisions, workplace policies, local operations, site access, safety procedures, onboarding requirements, schedules, internal leadership, and organization-specific decisions.
No. Affiliation does not make the affiliate responsible for CPEI’s academic governance, and it does not make CPEI responsible for the affiliate’s internal operations. The relationship works through documented responsibilities, communication, cooperation, and mutual accountability.
Questions about faculty approval, student enrollment, course groups, and learning expectations.
CPEI courses must be taught and supervised by CPEI credentialed faculty or approved CPEI supervisory candidates. Faculty are contracted individually and directly with CPEI, and faculty contracts are renewed separately from the affiliate relationship.
CPEI course groups are for students enrolled in CPEI programs. Affiliates are expected to maintain the integrity of CPEI groups by ensuring that participants are properly enrolled with CPEI.
The affiliate may participate in local processes connected to student readiness, site fit, or interview support, especially through a pastoral advisory committee or similar structure. CPEI maintains student application, enrollment, academic records, and program processes.
A Pastoral Advisory Committee, often called a PAC, is a small advisory group that supports the learning environment. Depending on the affiliate setting, it may include organizational leaders, healthcare staff, behavioral science professionals, educators, clergy, community leaders, or others who can contribute to student learning and program support.
The affiliate should contact CPEI promptly if a CPEI faculty member is no longer affiliated with the organization or becomes unable to continue supervising a course. Timely communication helps protect students, course continuity, and program integrity.
Questions about affiliate fees, billing, renewal timing, and payment expectations.
Affiliate fees are approved by the CPEI Board of Directors and confirmed during the affiliation review process. Please contact CPEI for the current affiliate fee schedule.
CPEI may publish affiliate fee information when approved for public posting. Until an official fee schedule is posted, interested organizations should contact CPEI directly for current fee information.
Annual renewal fees are generally billable on November 1 and payable by December 31 each year.
Yes. A 10% late fee may be assessed if payment is not received by or before December 31 of the renewal term.
Yes. CPEI may terminate an affiliation agreement if required payments are not made within the applicable timeframe.
The affiliation agreement generally has an initial term of one year and may automatically renew for successive one-year terms unless terminated according to the agreement terms.
Yes. Either CPEI or the affiliate organization may terminate the relationship with written notice according to the terms of the affiliation agreement.
Questions about how affiliates represent their relationship with CPEI.
Yes. Affiliate organizations are expected to maintain an active website with accurate information and access to CPEI applications and program information.
Affiliate organizations are strongly encouraged to use CPEI’s logo on their websites and promotional materials when appropriate and accurate.
Affiliate organizations must clearly disclose their affiliation with CPEI on websites and promotional materials. They should represent the relationship accurately and avoid language that misstates the affiliate’s role or authority.
Affiliates must include CPEI’s required accreditation statement in appropriate materials:
“CPEI is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency and recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).”
Questions about how to begin the affiliation process.
Start by contacting CPEI to share your organization’s interest, setting, goals, and questions. CPEI will help determine whether affiliation may be a good fit and what information is needed next.
Organizations should be prepared to share their legal name, address, primary contact information, organizational setting, reason for seeking affiliation, anticipated learning context, faculty needs, student support capacity, and questions about affiliation requirements.
No. CPEI reviews potential affiliations for fit, readiness, capacity, mission alignment, and ability to support CPEI’s standards, policies, and educational expectations.
If affiliation is approved, CPEI and the affiliate complete required documentation, identify key contacts, confirm responsibilities, address fees and renewal terms, and begin setup for implementation.
Organizations interested in affiliation should contact CPEI through the main Contact page. CPEI will route the inquiry to the appropriate office or leader.
Contact CPEI to discuss whether affiliation is the right next step for your organization.