National legislation
The examples on this page describe how some countries in the EHEA are using EQAR as a reference for national legislation in order to recognise external quality assurance agencies and their results.
This page is new. Please contact us if you have any questions or other relevant examples that might be missing.
Austria
Universities will be free to choose any EQAR-registered agency for their periodic external audits. Read more
Denmark
Automatic recognition of accreditation by EQAR-registered agencies for Erasmus Mundus joint programmes and for Danish diplomas offered abroad. Read more
Germany
Nationally recognised (by the Accreditation Council) QA agencies can ratify decisions from foreign EQAR-registered agencies. Read more
Lithuania
Programme review can be by any EQAR registered agency, while accreditation decisions are taken by the national agency. Read more
Romania
After initial accreditation by the national agency, HE institutions can choose from registered agencies freely for periodic external evaluation. Read more
Liechtenstein (proposal to national parlement)
Does not have its own national agency - plan to allow universities to choose also among registered agencies for their accreditation. Read more
Austria
A law to reorganise the external quality assurance system for higher education was passed by the Austrian national parliament in July 2011. The three existing external quality assurance agencies of Austria will be merged into one organisation, the new Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQAA).
Under the new legislation, public universities in Austria will have to have their internal quality assurance system certified in a periodic external audit. For these audits, universities will be free to choose any EQAR-registered agency. Universities of applied sciences () will also benefit from this freedom once they have been accredited by AQAA for two six-year terms.
Denmark
Erasmus Mundus joint programmes offered by Danish and foreign institutions in cooperation do not require accreditation by the Danish national quality assurance agency if they are accredited by any EQAR-registered agency.
Danish institutions may only issue Danish diplomas for programmes offered abroad if these programmes are accredited either by the national Danish agency or an “internationally recognised” agency. EQAR-registered agencies are automatically considered “internationally recognised”; other agencies have to prove this in an individual procedure.
The Accreditation Institution, one of Denmark's national QA agencies, is also required by law to seek registration on EQAR.
Germany
Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Germany can turn to several QA agencies that are accredited by a national regulatory body, the German Accreditation Council, for periodic accreditation of their study programmes or at system level. These agencies can ratify individual decisions of other agencies on the accreditation of a joint programme between a German and foreign institution, if the other agency is registered on EQAR or a full member of ENQA.
Lithuania
Lithuanian HEIs are subject to accreditation at institutional and programme level. For programme accreditation, HEIs can opt for an external review conducted by any EQAR-registered QA agency. The accreditation decision, however, remains responsibility of the national QA agency.
Romania
All HEIs in Romania are subject to (initial) accreditation by the national QA agency, ARACIS. Once the HEI is accredited it is obliged to undergo periodic external evaluations. For these evaluations, HEIs can choose freely from amongst the registered agencies.
ARACIS is required by law to seek registration on EQAR.
Liechtenstein
Being a small country, Liechtenstein has decided not to establish its own national agency for only one institution. Instead, the ministry of higher education will license (foreign) quality assurance agencies to carry out (periodic) accreditation. The ministry has announced that it will adopt a bye-law licensing all EQAR-registered agencies.
