New for 2027 a non-refundable $25 application fee is now required for each submission to the School-Based Enterprise Certification Program. An invoice is generated automatically upon online submission and emailed to the chapter advisor. Payment must be received to complete Gold Certification or Gold Re-Certification.
The SBE Certification and Re-Certification submission site will open on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. All projects have a submission deadline of 11:59 PM on Thursday, January 14, 2027.
Recertification vs. Certification
When a school-based enterprise achieves certification at the gold level, they can apply to be gold re-certified for four additional years by submitting the appropriate documentation as outlined in the guidelines. After five years (one year of initial gold certification plus four additional years of re-certification), the SBE must complete the original gold certification process to be eligible for the gold-level certification award. There is no option for re-certifying at the bronze or silver level.
You can check the status of your SBE in the Online Membership System. In the menu, click SBE Certification History.
Chapter Certification
When an SBE achieves certification at the gold level, they can apply to be gold re-certified for four additional years by submitting the appropriate documentation. Here are the 2026-2027 SBE Chapter Re-certification Guidelines.
New SBE Certification
If an SBE wishes to seek certification and hasn’t previously been certified or is at the end of its re-certification cycle, the SBE must complete the full certification. Here are the 2026-2027 SBE Chapter Certification Guidelines.
A School-based Enterprise Gold Certification Sample Manual is available for both retail and food operations from various SBEs. This is meant to give advisors and SBE managers some examples using excerpts from previous SBE manuals that have earned gold certification.
SBEAcademy + Competition
The 2027 SBE Competition Guidelines are now available. The competition topic for 2027 is promotion. SBEs that earn gold chapter certification or gold re-certification through DECA's SBE Chapter Certification are eligible to send up to two members to participate in the SBE Academy + Competition during ICDC, pending approval from the chartered association advisor.
SBE Dates & Deadlines
- SBE Week: Monday, September 28 – Friday, October 2, 2026
- SBE Chapter Certification Submissions Due: January 14, 2027
- SBE Academy at ICDC, Anaheim, CA: Sunday, April 18, 2027
- SBE Competition at ICDC, Anaheim, CA: Monday, April 19, 2027
