Which accredited TCM schools are there in the U.S.?
Choosing a TCM school can feel high-stakes precisely because so much rides on it — licensure eligibility, and even loan/visa validity all trace back to one thing: whether the school's programs are accredited. The relevant accreditor for the whole profession is the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM), the U.
Choosing a TCM school can feel high-stakes precisely because so much rides on it — licensure eligibility, and even loan/visa validity all trace back to one thing: whether the school's programs are accredited. The relevant accreditor for the whole profession is the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM), the U.S. Department of Education–recognized specialized accreditor for acupuncture and Chinese-herbal-medicine programs. Below are the ACAHM-accredited schools we've verified directly from each school's own published materials (checked 08/2026) — not an exhaustive national count, but a real, sourced cross-section:
| School | Location | ACAHM Status (per school's own materials, checked 08/2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Five Branches University | San Jose & Santa Cruz, CA | Institution + entry-level master's/doctorate accredited |
| American College of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) | Houston, TX | Accredited |
| Academy of Chinese Culture & Health Sciences (ACCHS) | Oakland, CA | Accredited |
| Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College (AIMC) | Berkeley, CA | Accredited |
| Academy for Five Element Acupuncture (AFEA) | Gainesville, FL | Accredited |
| Colorado Chinese Medicine University (CCMU) | Denver, CO | Accredited |
| California University–Silicon Valley (CUSV) | Sunnyvale, CA | Master's accredited; doctorate not yet accredited (in process) |
| Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine (DRCOM) | Bradenton, FL | Accredited |
| Florida College of Integrative Medicine (FCIM) | Orlando, FL | Accredited (renewed through 2033) |
| New York College of TCM (NYCTCM) | Mineola, NY | Accredited (renewed through 2033) |
| Pacific College of Health and Science | San Diego CA / New York NY / Chicago IL | Accredited (multi-campus) |
| Southern California Univ. of Health Sciences (SCUHS) | Whittier, CA | Accredited |
| Texas Health and Science University (THSU) | Austin & San Antonio, TX | Accredited |
| University of East-West Medicine (UEWM) | Sunnyvale, CA | Master's accredited through 2028; doctorate not yet accredited |
A few schools above show a doctorate program still working toward accreditation even though their master's is fully accredited — worth checking program-by-program, not just school-by-school, whenever accreditation is the deciding factor. For the complete, always-current national roster, ACAHM's own directory at acahm.org is the authoritative source.
Are you weighing a few of these against each other, or exploring what's near a particular city?
Sources
- Five Branches University — Accreditation Degrees Programs checked 2026-08
- Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley — Aimc.Edu checked 2026-08
- Colorado Chinese Medicine University — Ccmu.Edu checked 2026-08
- Five Branches University — Consumer Information checked 2026-08
- Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine — Dragonrises.Edu checked 2026-08
- The school's own published catalog and website checked 2026-07
- American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine — Www.Acaom.Edu checked 2026-08
- Academy of Chinese Culture & Health Sciences — Www.Acchs.Edu checked 2026-08
- Academy for Five Element Acupuncture — Www.Acupuncturist.Edu checked 2026-08
- Florida College of Integrative Medicine — Www.Fcim.Edu checked 2026-08
- New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine — Www.Nyctcm.Edu checked 2026-08
- Pacific College of Health and Science (San Diego Campus) — Www.Pacificcollege.Edu checked 2026-08
- Southern California University of Health Sciences — Www.Scuhs.Edu checked 2026-08
- Texas Health and Science University — Www.Thsu.Edu checked 2026-08
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