Accreditation Program Costs
Alliance membership is not required for accreditation but certain levels of membership offer substantial savings on accreditation fees. Membership dues are billed separately from Accreditation fees.
Accreditation Application
There is no fee to apply.
Self-Study
A review fee is due at the time the Self-Study is submitted and is based on the museum’s Alliance membership status at that time. The review fee covers the costs associated with the administration of a museum’s re/accreditation review. No refunds or adjustments will be made once the Self-Study is submitted. The fee may be paid as a lump sum or in 3 or 5 annual installments (10% surcharge applies and is collected with the 1st payment).
Tier 3 Member Museum
$2875
Tier 2 Member Museum
$3450
Tier 1 Member Museum
$5175
Non-member Museum
$6900
Site Visit Expenses
The museum is responsible for expenses related to the accreditation site visit: travel, accommodation, meals, and related incidentals for two peer reviewers for a 1.5 – 3 day visit. Very large museum systems may require three reviewers. Site visit expenses are reimbursed to the peer reviewers by the Alliance and the Alliance invoices the museum a few weeks after the site visit.
Costs vary based on museum location, number of days, mode of travel, etc.
We suggest museums budget at least $3,000 to cover both peer reviewers’ expenses, as travel costs continue to rise.
Annual Participation Fee
Museums pay an Accreditation Program participation fee each year except the year the Self-Study is due (pay the Review Fee instead). This fee applies to a calendar year and is displayed as a range depending on a combination of your museum’s next/last Self-Study due date and its AAM member level (see more details below). Read more about the Annual Participation Fee.
Tier 3 Member Museum
$0-$275
Tier 2 Member Museum
$135-$275
Tier 1 Member Museum
$275-$635
Non-member Museum
$275-$635
Nonpayment of fees may jeopardize the museum’s accredited status.
Pay your invoice online
Go to https://www.aam-us.org/customerservice/makepayment
Any museum staff member can log in using their own username and password to pay the museum’s invoice online.