QAA is the independent expert quality body for higher education across the UK. This work is funded through membership and we currently have over 300 members across the UK. Membership of QAA is voluntary in England where over 98% of universities are members, and mandatory in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. QAA Membership provides vision, expertise, practical support, resources and guidance on the topics that matter to staff and students.

QAA is custodian of a suite of UK-wide sector reference points which form an essential part of the quality assurance infrastructure of higher education institutions across the UK and help to safeguard the global reputation of UK higher education. These include:

We are also responsible for providing oversight of providers who are not on the OfS Register.

QAA is the regulator of the Access to HE Diploma, and licenses the agencies that develop, approve and monitor Access to HE courses. We also promote the Access to HE Diploma, raising awareness of the qualification and its potential to transform lives.

From 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2023, QAA also had a discrete role as the Designated Quality Body in England (DQB). In this role, which was been carried out separately from our other work in England, we were designated by the Secretary of State to provide assessments for the Office for Students (OfS). We announced on 20 July 2022 that we would no longer consent to be designated after 31 March 2023.