ICF Makes Major Changes to Its Credentialing Process — Here’s What Every Coach Needs to Know

If you hold an ICF credential — or you’re working towards one — this affects you directly. The ICF has announced some of the most significant changes to its credentialing process in years, and they come into effect sooner than you might think. No, this is not an April Fools’ joke — even though one of the key dates falls on 1 April.

Here’s a clear breakdown of what’s changing, why it matters, and what it means for you in practice.

The Big Picture: Performance Evaluations Are Out. MCS Mentor Coaching Is In.

Effective 1 April 2027, the ICF is removing the Performance Evaluation requirement for ACC and PCC Portfolio candidates. In its place, all credential candidates will be required to complete enhanced mentor coaching with a coach who holds the new Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) designation.

The transition starts earlier than that, though. From 1 January 2027, all credential candidates must work with an MCS-certified mentor coach.

So if you have a renewal or a new application coming up, now is the time to start planning.

Why Is the ICF Making This Change?

The ICF was transparent about the problems with the old performance evaluation model:

54% of respondents found the application process too complex
38% found it too time-consuming
Single-session recordings were proving inadequate at capturing coaching competence across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts
Perhaps most tellingly — the rise of AI has made it increasingly difficult to verify whether a real human coach is doing the coaching, or whether an AI agent is stepping in. Apparently, AI can pass a coaching recording review. It cannot, as yet, replace the slightly uncomfortable silence when your mentor coach raises an eyebrow at your contracting.

These are legitimate concerns, and the move to formative, relationship-based assessment makes sense. It is a shift from a one-off snapshot to an ongoing, developmental process — and that is arguably much closer to how coaching competence actually develops.

What Is the Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS)?

The Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) is a brand-new ICF credential specifically for coaches who provide mentor coaching. To earn it, a coach must:

Hold a PCC, MCC, or Renewed ACC credential
Have completed 41 or more hours of mentor coaching education — or have previously worked as a Mentor Coach for an ICF-accredited programme, or as an ICF Assessor (for whom there is a fast-track pathway)

One important detail worth highlighting: the MCS is now credential-level specific. This means if you are seeking ACC-level mentor coaching, you will need to work with a mentor coach who holds an ACC MCS. This is a meaningful quality-assurance step — previously, the ICF published Mentor Coaching Competencies, but these were only directional guidelines. The MCS formalises the standard.

How Do I Find an MCS-Certified Mentor Coach?

Coaches who earn the MCS will be listed on an updated ICF Mentor Coach Registry. You can search the directory directly on the ICF website here:

👉 Find a Mentor Coach – ICF

What Does This Mean for You as a Credentialled Coach?

Whether you are applying for the first time or coming up for renewal, here is what changes in practice:

The bar on mentor coaching is significantly higher — and that is a good thing. What you receive now is quality-assured, developmental support rather than a box-ticking exercise. Previously, you needed 10 hours of mentor coaching plus a separate submission of your recorded sessions for evaluation. These were two distinct processes.

Under the new model, this becomes one integrated process:

A minimum of 3 recorded sessions will be observed and reviewed as part of your mentor coaching engagement
Evaluation happens during the mentor coaching relationship — not after it, in isolation
Feedback is formative, meaning it builds progressively on what you have already applied and developed
The minimum engagement is 3 months, ensuring continuity and real developmental depth

In short: you get better feedback, delivered more meaningfully, throughout the process.

Old Process vs. New Process at a Glance

What	Old (until April 2027)	New (from April 2027)
Assessment type	Summative — one recorded session at a single point in time	Formative — multiple observations with feedback over time
Who assesses	Trained performance evaluators	Mentor coaches holding the MCS designation
What’s submitted	1 (ACC) or 2 (PCC) recorded sessions + transcripts	Multiple session observation forms + competency review
Duration	Single submission	Minimum 3-month engagement
Sessions required	One evaluated recording	At least 3 observed coaching sessions

What Does This Mean for My Work With You?

I have been offering mentor coaching since 2013, and over the years I have already integrated recording reviews directly into individual sessions. Under the new structure, this increases to a minimum of 3 recordings, and the process will be adjusted to align with formative feedback principles. So — more recordings, better feedback, less paperwork. That feels like progress.

As an ICF Assessor at the ACC, PCC, and MCC levels, I plan to become MCS-certified at all three levels. It is worth noting that these will now be separate cohorts.

Silke Thompson and I will continue to offer Group MCS Mentor Coaching at all credential levels, as well as Individual Mentor Coaching. We have been running group mentor coaching together since 2015, and our alumni will continue to receive discounts across all levels.

If you want to complete your Group MCS Mentor Coaching before the end of the year, now is the time to move — Silke and I have a cohort starting in the fall. Spots fill up, so do not leave it too long.

For current offerings and upcoming dates, please see the flyers on my website and on Silke’s website at mentor-coaching.com.

Useful Links

Have questions about how these changes apply to your specific situation? Get in touch — I am happy to talk it through with you.