Register of Quality Assurance Agencies

See which quality assurance agencies are listed on the Register.

In most European countries, higher education institutions or study programmes are subject to regular external review by a quality assurance agency. The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) is a register of such agencies, listing those that substantially comply with a common set of principles for quality assurance in Europe. These principles are laid down in the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance. The register is web-based and freely accessible for everyone.

News

Swiss OAQ Newly Admitted to the Register, AQAS and FIBAA Renewed

9 May 2012: The Swiss Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education (OAQ) has been admitted to the Register at the Register Committee's meeting on 4 and 5 May 2012 in Munich. Now, 29 European quality assurance agencies feature on the Register.

Also two applications for renewal of inclusion on the Register, by AQAS and FIBAA (both based in Germany), were approved. The two agencies' registration has been renewed for a further 5 years, until early 2017.

Ministers Reach Important Agreements for Quality Assurance in Europe

European Ministers of Higher Education from the 47 Bologna Process countries met on 26 and 27 April 2012 in Bucharest to agree on future priorities for the EHEA. The Bucharest Communiqué, agreed by Ministers at the conference, addresses important issues for quality assurance of higher education: Ministers agreed to "allow all EQAR-registered agencies to perform their activities across the EHEA, while complying with national requirements" and particularly to recognise their decisions on joint and double degree programmes.

Ministers agreed to revise the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) and asked for a proposal to be prepared the E4 Group (ENQA, ESU, EUA, EURASHE) in cooperation with BUSINESSEUROPE, Education International and EQAR.

Ministers reaffirmed that "quality assurance is essential for building trust" and set automatic recognition of qualifications, based on quality assurance and other Bologna tools (learning outcomes, qualifications frameworks), as a long-term goal for the EHEA.

EQAR was represented in the conference and submitted a statement to ministers.

Annual Report 2011

The EQAR Annual Report 2011 is now available for download [PDF, 622K]. It includes the EQAR Register Committee's regular report to the EQAR General Assembly, following up the two previous reports in 2009 and 2010 (see Publications). These reports, previously published separately, are now integrated in the Annual Report.

The Final Report of the External Evaluation as well as EQAR's Follow-Up to the evaluation panel's recommendations are published together with the Annual Report.

EQAR General Assembly held in Copenhagen - January and March 2012

EQAR's General Assembly was held in two parts this year, in conjunction with the two BFUG meetings in Copenhagen.

On 17 January 2012 EQAR members discussed EQAR's Strategic Priorities and Follow-Up of the External Evaluation. EQAR members agreed on promoting international trust and recognition of quality assurance agencies as well as increasing transparency as the two strategic priorities. Members also agreed on recommendations to European Ministers of Higher Education with a view to the Bucharest Ministerial Conference on 26/27 April.

During the second part, on 20 March 2012, the General Assembly elected a new Executive Board for a two-year mandate and approved the nominations to the Register Committee 2012-2014.

The Register Committee reported on its work since the last General Assembly. The Report of the Register Committee will be published as part of EQAR's Annual Report 2011 before the Bucharest Ministerial Conference.

Representatives of Turkey, who joined EQAR as Governmental Member right before the General Assembly, as well as Croatia, Latvia and Montenegro, who had become governmental members last year, were warmly welcomed at their first General Assembly.

EUA Institutional Evaluation Programme admitted to Register

22 December 2011: Following the most recent Register Committee meeting, also the EUA Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) was admitted to the Register until April 2014, based on an external review of the IEP against the ESG in 2009.

The Register now includes 28 European quality assurance agencies.

ASHE newly admitted to Register, three agencies' registration renewed

25 November 2011: At the most recent Register Committee meeting held in Vienna on 20-21 November, the Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) was admitted to the Register.

The following three agencies had their inclusion on the Register renewed until 2016: ACQUIN, ASIIN and ZEvA. These were the first agencies to submit applications for renewal of inclusion after five years elapsed since their previous external review.

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In the context of the Bologna Process EQAR has been founded by EURASHE, ENQA, EUA and ESU. / Copyright of the logos above is with the organisations.