The British University in Dubai achieves global quality accreditation

The British University in Dubai (BUiD) has become the latest higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to achieve global quality accreditation through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.

The University has obtained global accreditation having successfully completed QAA’s International Quality Review (IQR). IQR is a rigorous process which benchmarks global higher education institutions against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

The review took place online between 23 and 26 May 2022, and was carried out by a team of three independent reviewers appointed by QAA. The review team confirmed that the University meets all 10 of the internal quality assurance standards in the ESG.

The review team also identified a number of features of good practice including:

• the formation and operation of stakeholder Advisory Boards with a focused strategic, operational and advisory remit
• the establishment and maintenance of a Doctoral Training Centre to further enhance institutional research and scholarship priorities, and support all students and staff
• the focus on learner independence, equity and inclusion for ‘students of determination’ (those with additional needs)
• and the introduction of a bespoke feature on the student intranet, allowing enquiries and requests to be tracked in real time by both university staff and individual students.

Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, BUiD’s Vice-Chancellor, said: 'We are delighted to have completed the QAA’s International Quality Review successfully. As the leading research university in the region, we take the quality of our learning and teaching very seriously. We are proud that the review team selected as good practice initiatives we have put in place at BUiD to ensure we continue to develop as a university model for high standards of quality.'

Vicki Stott, QAA’s Chief Executive said: 'Huge congratulations to the British University in Dubai on this tremendous achievement. Through the IQR process, they have been able to demonstrate their comparability with international best practice in quality assurance, and to further strengthen their capacity for developing international collaboration and partnership.'

QAA’s IQR accreditation applies for five years, subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review. The University will be able to display QAA’s IQR Accreditation badge, demonstrating that their quality assurance processes are comparable with international best practice. The University is also eligible to become a QAA International Member. International Quality Review is carried out in QAA’s capacity supporting the development of higher education quality internationally, including activity to support QAA Members and collaboration with international partners.

By securing global accreditation from QAA, international institutions can clearly spotlight their quality standards internationally, and more easily start a dialogue with institutions outside their own country.

You can read British University in Dubai's full IQR report on our website. You can also find out more about the IQR process and QAA International Membership. If you are interested in your institution signing up and wish to discuss this further, contact the QAA Global team at accreditation@qaa.ac.uk