ACCREDITATION PROCESS

Any educational institution that intends to earn the accreditation status from the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation must demonstrate compliance, through the application for accreditation (Self Assessment Report), with the education quality standards set forth by the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation.

1. Consideration of Eligibility:

Accreditation focuses on higher education institutions. An eligible member must be any kind of organization, entity or company properly authorized to conduct higher educational teaching and certification, to award postsecondary degrees, certificates or other educational or professional credentials.

The entities eligible for accreditation must prepare individuals to achieve competencies and attain the educational qualifications necessary to begin functioning in a specific occupation. In other words, they must prepare individuals in a branch of knowledge, science, art or business that has application in a specific occupation, usually requiring significant specialized training, or profession.

2. Application for Accreditation:

The European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation has prepared an application for accreditation that will guide the applicant institutions in the preparation of the Self Study Report and the required documentary evidence. The applicant may download and print this application for accreditation, then fill it out and finally send it out to the EAHEA Secretary by email (.doc, .pdf or .jpg formats are accepted).

This application is a legally binding contract between the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation and the applicant institution that states the rights and obligations of both parties.

The applicant institution may submit the application for verification of its accreditation eligibility without including any fee. Once the EAHEA Secretary confirms the eligible options, the applicant institution is entitled to pay the corresponding fee.

The European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation will not start any accreditation process without the corresponding application.

3. Accreditation Fees:

The institution of education applying for accreditation to the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation must pay the accreditation fee once the eligibility has been confirmed by the EAHEA Secretary, and before any actual evaluation of the accreditation process starts. (For details, look at the bottom of the page.)

4. Evaluation Process:

The European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation Secretary will distribute the application for accreditation and attached documents to an available member of the commission for the assessment of how each standard is addressed by the applicant educational institution. Each standard is graded in a 0 to 4 scale.

The evaluation of each standard is graded according to the following scale:

4 - Outstanding: No need for improvement.
3 - Standard: May improve.
2 - Acceptable: Requires improvement.
1 - Insufficient: Not meeting the minimums.
0 - Nule: Failed to comply with this requirement.

5. Interview or Site Visit:

If deemed necessary, the commissioner may require an interview (online or face-to-face) with the appointed representative of the applicant educational institution or arrange a site visit from a member of the commission. This action is usually scheduled if the material provided by the applicant is insufficient for a clear judgment, or for further clarification about specific accreditation standards. The travel costs and expenses related to the interview or site visit will be paid by the applicant educational institution. The interview or site visit goals, schedule and budget will be settled in advance by the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation Secretary in consultation with the applicant. Usually one day interview or visit will be enough to resolve any concerns.

6. Announcement:

The European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation Secretary will communicate the results of the initial evaluation results status to the other members of the Commission. The other members of the Commission have 15 days since the announcement to review and amend the conclusions and grades of the initial accreditation report.

7. Conclusion:

The European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation Secretary will communicate the results of the accreditation status and any grade amendments from the other commissioners to the president of the EAHEA. The president will review the accreditation report to resolve any discrepancies that may have occurred during the standards grading. The final grades of the accreditation report are endorsed by the president of the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation.

The EAHEA Secretary will inform the new applicant educational institution of the conclusions of the accreditation report and will provide suggestions, if applicable. In the case that full accreditation is gained, the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation Secretary will send the corresponding accreditation diploma.

In any case the detailed accreditation report is always sent to the applicant.

The resulting average will determine the accreditation status:

Full accreditation: Final average ranging 3,0 - 4,0. Requires re-accreditation review every five years.

Conditional accreditation: Final average ranging 2,0 - 2,9. This is a one year long temporary status. The educational institution must undergo a new re-accreditation review within 12 months of conditional accreditation. If full accreditation is not achieved in this review, the accreditation status will be denied.

Denial of accreditation: Final average ranging 0,0 - 1,9. The Accrediting Commission will explain the reasons for the denial. The accreditation fee is not refundable in this situation. Any educational institution in this case may reapply for accreditation after a 12-month-period.

Fees for the Accreditation of Educational Institutions

The institution of education applying for accreditation to the European Agency for Higher Education & Accreditation must pay the accreditation fee once the eligibility has been confirmed by the EAHEA Secretary, and before any actual evaluation of the accreditation process starts.

1. Accreditation (Full):

Full accreditation for universities, educational institutes, vocational institutions, colleges and schools.
This fee is payable upon acceptance of the eligibility of the institution into the full accreditation process.
This fee includes the evaluation of the application for full accreditation (Self Assessment Report).
This fee includes the final applicant accreditation assessment report.
This fee includes the first year of accreditation maintenance fee.
This fee does not include any additional expenses derived from required site visits.

2. Accreditation (Online):

Online accreditation for open universities, distance learning centers, lifelong learning centers and online courses.
This fee is payable upon acceptance of the eligibility of the institution into the online accreditation process.
This fee includes the evaluation of the application for online accreditation (Self Assessment Report).
This fee includes the final applicant accreditation assessment report.
This fee includes the first year of accreditation maintenance fee.

3. Re-accreditation:

The re-accreditation process is the same as the initial accreditation process.
This fee includes the re-evaluation of the application for accreditation.
This fee includes the final applicant accreditation assessment report.
This fee includes the the year of accreditation maintenance fee.
This fee does not include any additional expenses derived from required site visits.

4. Yearly Maintenance Fee:

This fee is for all accreditation types (full and online).
This fee is payable every year since the date of the accreditation of the institution.

Rights of The EAHEA Accredited Institutions

The EAHEA accreditation is an important recognition because it gives the assurance to the public, in particular to prospective students, that you, as an education provider, meet quality educational standards in the global market.

The EAHEA accredited institutions are entitled to:

Claim Accreditation by the EAHEA.
Use the EAHEA name and seal.
Receive an accreditation diploma.
Be listed on the EAHEA Web as an Accredited member.
The EAHEA Web will provide a link to the accredited member web.
Use the EAHEA monitoring and feedback services.
Be periodically informed of any comments received on its behalf.
Get a fee invoice for tax deduction purposes.
Promote your institution through the EAHEA Education Network.