The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is a group of 50 countries that cooperate to achieve comparable and compatible higher education systems throughout Europe. These 50 countries implement reforms in higher education on the basis of common key values - such as academic freedom, institutional autonomy and the participation of students and staff in higher education governance. Through this process, known as the Bologna Process, countries, institutions and stakeholders continuously adapt their higher education systems making them more compatible and strengthening their quality assurance mechanisms. The United Kingdom (UK) is a founding member of the EHEA.
Recognition of QAA as a credible and trustworthy quality agency is through two organisations, the European Association for Quality in Higher Education (ENQA) and the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).
QAA is a full and founding member of ENQA, the membership organisation for higher education quality assurance agencies in Europe. Full membership of ENQA shows that an agency complies with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). Compliance with the ESG is essential for QAA’s registration on the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR).
The role of EQAR is to keep a register of the quality agencies that comply with the requirements of the ESG. The ESG set out expectations for providers, quality assurance agencies and review methods. Compliance with these standards is checked every five years through an independent review which includes a self-assessment. Information on QAA’s ENQA reviews and self-assessments can be found below.
ENQA Review
2023
Compliance with these
standards is checked every five years through an independent review. Following our review in February 2023, we were
found to be compliant in 12 of the 14
standards and partially compliant with the remaining two. The panel concluded
that QAA is compliant with the ESG. The
panel praised QAA for its involvement of ‘an impressive array of stakeholders’
and fostering ‘a culture of effective dialogue with everyone involved in the
procedures’. They also acknowledged QAA’s ‘high reputation and solid position
in UK, European and the international higher education community’. You can read ENQA's full report below, as well
as our Self-Assessment Report.
2018
Following our review in February 2018, we were found to be fully or substantially compliant in all areas. Only one other European agency has matched this level of compliance. The panel identified QAA as 'internationally, one of the leading quality assurance agencies'. You can read ENQA's full report below, as well as our Self-Assessment Report.
Compliance with the ESG
ENQA membership and being on the EQAR Register confirms that QAA’s practices comply with the ESG. This also means that QAA is evaluating providers against Part 1 of the ESG and therefore attesting to the alignment of providers practices with the ESG. ESG compliant activity relates specifically to QAA review activity which is listed on the EQAR Register. All activities where QAA assess providers against the ESG are clearly designated as such. QAA also undertakes enhancement activity which is out of scope of the ESG which supports the sector in developing a quality culture.