Accreditation and Approvals

The Center for Massage & Natural Health proud to be a fully accredited massage school. We are accredited by COMTA (Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation and approved by the U.S. Department of Education as a Title IV school.

For information on how coming to an accredited school benefits you, click on the COMTA tab below.

COMTA
U.S. Department of Education
NC Board of Massage
National Certification Board
Veterans Benefits
Foreign Students
Additional Credentials

CFMNH IS ACCREDITED by COMTA
(Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation)

COMTA is recognized by the United States Department of Education which enabled us to become an approved Title IV school, allowing for Federal Financial Aid for our students.

Students often think about important questions like:
• Is this massage school a really good one?
• How skilled are their instructors?
• Is this a financially stable school that won’t go under half way through my education?
• Do they accommodate students’ learning needs?
• Will this school prepare me for National Certification and state licensure?
• Will they help me find a job?

Accredited schools care about these questions, too. CFMNH has voluntarily taken steps to assure that we meet standards of educational excellence by going through a process called accreditation. An accredited school is one that meets very specific standards that demonstrates financial stability, hires competent and credentialed faculty, and has an array of services that respond to the learner’s needs.

COMTA is the only accrediting agency focused exclusively on massage therapy and bodywork education. You can be assured that the education you receive from a COMTA accredited school provides quality on all levels. At CFMNH, we are dedicated to providing you with this level of excellence to assure you are most prepared for a successful career when you graduate.

CFMNH is the ONLY massage school in Western North Carolina that is COMTA accredited.
Benefits of receiving an education from a COMTA accredited school:

• Assurance that you have graduated from a school whose accreditation is widely recognized and respected throughout the field of massage and bodywork therapy

• Security that the school and staff are continually accountable to an extremely meticulous and well-intentioned external review organization

• Comfort in knowing that the school has, due to its own ongoing commitment to excellence in massage therapy education, voluntarily chosen to meet COMTA’s standards

• Finding that the school you attend takes responsibility for representing the qualities that will bring you success as a massage therapist:
thoughtfully developed and implemented policies, plans, and procedures; an image that is respectable and take seriously in limitless professional
arenas; relationships rooted in ethics and integrity; and a dedicated, sincere commitment to constantly developing the profound healing power of touch

You may contact COMTA directly at:

Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation
5335 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 440
Washington, DC 20015
Phone: 202.895.1518
Fax: 202.895.1519

CFMNH's accreditation is approved by the United States Department of Education

The Center for Massage & Natural Health is accredited by COMTA (Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation) which is fully approved by the United States Department of Education. Our accreditation made it possible for us to become a Title IV school so that we can now offer Federal Financial Aid, including Pell Grants, to our students.

Because CFMNH's accreditation is approved by the United States Department of Education, you are eligible to take advantage of any available tax credits and/or deductions.

Please visit our Tax Credits, Deductions and Refunds page for more information.

APPROVED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF MASSAGE & BODYWORK THERAPY

The Center for Massage & Natural Health was the very first school to be fully approved by NC Board, a state agency which regulates schools of massage and bodywork therapy in North Carolina. CFMNH is literally School #1.

This status allows CfMNh graduates to take the National Certification examination, and to apply for licensure as a massage and bodywork therapist in NC and many other states.

CFMNH is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork

NCBTMB has designated Center for Massage & Natural health as an Approved provider for Continuing education.

Practitioners who are Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork may earn continuing education credits for recertification through all seminars and advanced training programs at CFMNH.

These credits also fulfill the requirements for renewal of NC state licensure, as well as AMTA and ABMP membership.

CFMNH is approved by the Veterns Administration for Veterans Benefits

The Center for Massage & Natural health’s Massage Therapy Certification program is approved by the North Carolina state Approving Agency for the enrollment of persons eligible for education assistance benefits from the Us department of Veterans Affairs.

Please visit the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to find out more about the GI Bill and the educational benefits you may qualify for. You may be entitled for up to $6,221 towards your tuition.

CFMNH is authorized to accept Foreign Students

The Center for Massage & Natural Health is approved through United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to enroll non-immigrant international students.

Student Visas-Information for International Students

The Center for Massage & Natural Health is authorized under Federal Law to enroll non-immigrant international students. If you’re a citizen or permanent resident of another country, you can obtain a student visa and attend our 6-month Massage Therapy Certification Program!

A student visa allows you to enter the U.S. and attend a U.S. Immigration and Customs-approved school. You will need to obtain a non-immigrant M-1 visa to attend our program. Non-immigrant visas are for people with permanent residence outside the U.S. who wish to temporarily live in the U.S. for a specific reason (in this case, for massage school). M-1 visas are for international students in a vocational education program.

Some aspects of our program, especially anatomy and physiology, are academically intense and involve strong and timely vocabulary comprehension. To effectively understand and participate, you will need to be proficient in English. Our admissions process requires documentation of an English as a second language exam (i.e. TOEFL).

How to Obtain a Student Visa and Enroll in our Program

Step One-Start Early!: Due to the U.S. State Department’s processing time, you must submit your visa application well in advance of the beginning of the class you wish to attend. Your nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate will have a current time estimate. Once you submit your visa materials (Step Five below), always expect the processing time to take at least several weeks. Some visas take longer.

Step Two: Contact your nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate (locations are posted online at http://travel.state.gov/visa/questions_embassy.html) to receive detailed information about visa processing time, application forms, and fees. Consider and begin to gather these items.

Step Three: Before you can submit an official visa application at your Embassy, you must first complete the Center for Massage & Natural Health (CFMNH)’s school admissions process. Be sure to attach the additional pieces required of International Students: a birth certificate, documentation of an English as a second language exam (i.e. TOEFL), and your transcript/diploma translated into English for review. We can conduct your admissions interview by telephone if necessary.

Step Four: Upon your acceptance to our program, we will ask you to complete a simple supplemental application form. CFMNH will then complete a USCIS Form I-20 M-N/ID (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (M-1) Student Status - For Vocational Students). We will send you a copy of this form within two weeks of your acceptance.

Step Five: Make an appointment at your U.S. Embassy or Consulate. (You will probably need to pay some application fees before this appointment.) You will need to bring Form I-20, along with some other application materials (your Embassy will explain these in advance), including your passport and proof that you have the financial resources required for your education and stay in the U.S.

Once you arrive in the U.S.: Your student visa will allow you to travel to the U.S. port of entry (airport or land border crossing). At this point, a U.S. immigration officer will interview you. This officer has the authority to permit you into the U.S. and decide how long you can stay.

When you pass through the port of entry, you should receive a Form I-94 (Arrival-Departure Record) that will include your admission number to the United States. An Immigration Inspector will write this admission number on your Form I-20 M-N/ID. The Inspector will then take pages one and two of this form, known as I-20 M-N. The USCIS will receive the first page (I-20M), and Center for Massage & Natural Health will receive the second page (I-20 N) as a record of your legal admission to the United States. You are expected to keep pages three and four, known as the I-20 ID. Keep these documents safe, because they are your proof that you are allowed to study here and that you have legally entered the U.S.