The following represent the possible accreditation categories into which an institution may be placed after deliberations of the AAALAC International Council on Accreditation. A mandatory item is, in Council's judgment, a serious deviation from the recommendations of the AAALAC International Rules of Accreditation that must be corrected to achieve or continue accreditation. The significance of a mandatory item is ordinarily based on the Council's assessment of its potential to adversely affect the health, well-being or safety of animals or humans.
AAALAC International's Council on Accreditation categorizes findings into three types:
The categories below are ranked in increasing order of severity of the mandatory item(s) identified.
| Category of Accreditation | Is the institution accredited? | Maximum number of months to correct mandatory item(s) |
| Award Full Accreditation | Yes | N/A |
| Award Conditional Accreditation | Yes | Correction of the mandatory item(s) to be reported at the discretion of Council. |
| Award Provisional Status | No |
Correction of the mandatory item(s) to be reported at the discretion of Council, up to a total of 24 months. |
| Withhold Accreditation | No | N/A |
| Category of Accreditation | Is the institution accredited? | Maximum number of months to correct mandatory item(s) |
| Continued Full Accreditation | Yes | N/A |
| Conditional Accreditation | Yes | Correction of mandatory item(s) to be reported at the discretion of Council. |
| Probation | Yes |
Correction of the mandatory item(s) to be reported at the discretion of Council, up to a total of 12 months. |
| Revoke Accreditation | No | N/A |