EAHEA Program Accreditation for Degree Programs
Program Accreditation is the programmatic accreditation of EAHEA for universities, educational institutes and business schools that offer a specific degree program with a curriculum of more than 300 clock hours. It gives a program an independent, international review of its quality and a status that students, partners and employers can verify at any time.
Accreditation is a voluntary, comprehensive and objective process of external peer review, which determines whether a program meets the standards of the accrediting body for educational quality and effectiveness.
Why Choose Program Accreditation?
- Recognition for your program: an independent review of a doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, associate or other degree program against defined educational standards.
- A verifiable status: the accreditation of the program can be checked by anyone on the EAHEA website.
- Improvement: the self-assessment guided by the EAHEA standards helps you strengthen the curriculum, teaching and assessment of the program.
- Wider scope: Program Accreditation combines the scope of Course Accreditation and ECTS Certification for a whole degree program.
- Independent service: you can apply for it without holding any other EAHEA service.
What Is the Program Accreditation Service?
This accreditation service is for universities, educational institutes and business schools that offer a specific degree program (doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, associate and so on) with a curriculum of more than 300 clock hours.
Program Accreditation does not cover institutional accreditation. It is an independent service that you can apply for without holding any other EAHEA service. If you also want institutional accreditation, you can apply for Full Accreditation or Online Accreditation separately. Program Accreditation is the broader service: it combines the scope of Course Accreditation and ECTS Certification for a whole degree program, while ECTS Certification alone is available to holders of Course Accreditation.
How to Apply for Program Accreditation
You apply online, answer the questions of the application and submit the supporting documents. The EAHEA Secretariat reviews the application, confirms the eligible options and guides you through the next steps, which are described on the Accreditation Process page. Start your application when you are ready.
The terms of this service are set out in the Terms and Agreement and in the EAHEA Institutional Accreditation Agreement, which EAHEA provides during the application process.
About the EAHEA Accreditation Status
1. EAHEA accreditation is not a substitute for legal regulation: Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental peer review process. Accreditation by EAHEA conveys only that the higher education institution meets the educational standards of EAHEA. It is not intended to substitute legal authorization, recognition or regulation under local government laws. Legal authorization, recognition or regulation, and government accreditation, are the subject of different reviews.
2. Programmatic accreditation: Program Accreditation evaluates a specific degree program as it was submitted for review. EAHEA accreditation may support the approval of the program, but it is not a license to practice a profession.
3. Global and international scope: EAHEA accreditation focuses on educational quality from a global and international perspective, and not on narrow interests, political action or educational fashions. EAHEA is aware that countries differ in how they meet the quality standards, and it therefore examines every higher education institution with respect for its institutional autonomy and under a non-discriminatory policy. Because of this global policy, EAHEA is not part of the governmental agencies of any country. The academic mobility and credit transferability of accredited institutions always remain subject to the policy of the receiving country or institution.
4. Changes to your program: The accreditation is granted for the program as it was evaluated. A major change to its educational content (curriculum, syllabus), duration, name or title, level or delivery mode is reviewed again by EAHEA, and a change fee is charged. Inform EAHEA before you put such a change into practice. Until the review is completed, the accreditation does not cover the changed program. A minor change that does not alter these elements needs only a notice and no fee.
5. Code of Ethics and use of the EAHEA name and logo: For as long as it is accredited, your institution complies with the rules of conduct that EAHEA sets in the Code of Ethics Declaration Form, and uses the EAHEA name, logo, emblem, seal and badges only as the Logo & Emblem Usage Guidelines allow. Both documents are available on the Documents & Forms page.
6. Contact details, checks and complaints: Your institution informs EAHEA within 30 days of any change in its contact details and keeps the information in the Institutional Contact Declaration & Update Form accurate, complete and up to date. If it does not, EAHEA may suspend the accreditation and any EAHEA membership of your institution. EAHEA may check, with or without prior notice, whether your institution complies with its obligations, and your institution facilitates the check. EAHEA may examine any complaint about your institution that comes from a third party and may ask for an oral or written defense; depending on the seriousness of the complaint, the accreditation may be suspended or revoked. A suspended or revoked status is published in the public directory with a short reason for five years from the date of the decision. After that the institution is removed from the directory, and the records stay in the EAHEA archive.
Rights of EAHEA Accredited Institutions
EAHEA accredited institutions are entitled to:
- Announce their accreditation by EAHEA.
- Use the EAHEA name, logo, emblem, seal and badges as the Logo & Emblem Usage Guidelines allow.
- Receive an accreditation certificate.
- Be listed on the EAHEA website as an accredited member, with a link to their own website.
- Use the EAHEA monitoring and feedback services.
- Be informed periodically of any comments received on their behalf.
- Receive an invoice for tax deduction purposes.
- Promote their institution through the EAHEA Education Network.
- Receive the EAHEA news alerts and newsletter.
- Receive discounts for all EAHEA sponsored events.
What Do You Get upon Program Accreditation?
- Program Accreditation Certificate
- Program Accreditation Audit Report
- EAHEA Accredited Program Seal and Badges
- Institutional Members Directory listing
- E-delivery news alerts and newsletter
- Discounts for all EAHEA sponsored events
What Are the Program Accreditation Fees?
All service fees follow the World Bank Country Income Classification, and additional discounts may apply depending on the economic situation of the country in which your institution carries out most of its activity or in which it is legally established. For the Program Accreditation Fees, please visit the Service Fees page.
Payment: The whole price, the Application Fee and the Accreditation Fee together, is paid at once when you apply.
Renewal: The accreditation is valid for one year and is renewed each year. If your institution holds a valid Full Accreditation or Online Accreditation on the renewal date, Program Accreditation is renewed automatically and free of charge; otherwise it is renewed each year for the renewal fee. A reviewed major change is charged a change fee. An accreditation that is not renewed ends. Fees are not refundable, except an amount that was paid twice or by mistake. EAHEA may use third-party software and authorized intermediary companies for international taxation, invoicing and collection.
