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Terms and Agreement

The terms and agreement an institution accepts when applying to EAHEA: accuracy of information, commitment to the standards, fees and termination of status.

Declarations of the Applicant

  1. Definitions. “EAHEA” is the European Association for Higher Education Advancement. “Applicant” is the institution, organization or individual that applies for, or holds, an EAHEA accreditation, certification, validation or membership service. “Accreditation status” means the status granted by an EAHEA accreditation service. “Membership” means Accredited Membership (given with Full or Online Accreditation), Associate Membership, Affiliate Membership or Observer Membership. A member who holds no accreditation status is not an accredited institution.
  2. Truthfulness and legal authority. In making this application, I certify that all information contained within and accompanying this application is true. Where the Applicant is an institution or organization, I certify that it is legally authorized to conduct its educational and other activities according to the laws and procedures of the corresponding country, state and/or province.
  3. Nature of accreditation and membership. I understand that accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental peer review process. EAHEA accreditation and membership are not a government license or recognition, do not grant degree-awarding powers, and are not a guarantee of the quality, outcomes, employability or recognition of any program or service, nor of the conduct of the Applicant. Membership is not accreditation: Associate, Affiliate and Observer Membership do not mean that the member, its programs or its qualifications are accredited by EAHEA.
  4. Commitment to standards. I confirm the commitment of the Applicant to the standards stated by the European Association for Higher Education Advancement. Events that occur as a direct consequence of working practices deviating from or contravening these standards will be regarded as the sole responsibility of the Applicant and may lead to the termination of the accreditation status or the membership.
  5. Code of Ethics. For as long as the accreditation status or the membership lasts, the Applicant will comply with the rules of conduct that EAHEA sets and that are defined in the Code of Ethics Declaration Form, and the rights of the Applicant depend on that compliance.
  6. Eligibility and new institutions. An institution that applies for accreditation must have operated continuously and successfully for at least one year and have graduated at least one class, must have been under the same ownership or control for at least one year, and must have a record of responsible financial management of at least one year. A newly established institution that does not yet meet these requirements may apply by submitting a goodwill letter addressed to EAHEA, which describes its establishment, its ownership, its activities, its finances and its plans and confirms its commitment to the EAHEA standards, and EAHEA decides at its discretion whether to accept the application on that basis.
  7. Fees. Lack of payment of the required fees will lead to the termination of the accreditation status or the membership and any rights established in the EAHEA Regulations. Fees, including the annual membership fee, are not refundable, except an amount that was paid twice or by mistake, which EAHEA returns.
  8. Payment and invoicing. The price of Full Accreditation and Online Accreditation is paid in two steps: the Application Fee first, and the Accreditation Fee after EAHEA confirms eligibility. The price of Program Accreditation and Course Accreditation is paid at once, in full, when the application is made. The discounts that EAHEA grants for the economic situation of a country are given by reference to the country in which the Applicant carries out most of its activity or the country in which it is legally established. EAHEA may use third-party software and the services of intermediary companies that have the expertise to carry out international taxation and invoicing matters. All collection and invoicing may be carried out directly by EAHEA or through the intermediary companies that EAHEA authorizes, and a payment made as instructed on the invoice or on the payment page has the same effect as a payment to EAHEA.
  9. Program Accreditation and Course Accreditation. Program Accreditation and Course Accreditation are independent services that can be obtained without any other EAHEA service. They are renewed each year. Program Accreditation is renewed automatically and free of charge for the holder of a valid Full Accreditation or Online Accreditation, and Course Accreditation is renewed automatically and free of charge for the holder of a valid Full Accreditation, Online Accreditation or Associate Membership. An Applicant that holds none of these renews the accreditation each year for the renewal fee. A Major Change to an accredited program or course, in particular to its educational content (curriculum, syllabus), its duration, its name or title, its level or its delivery mode, is reviewed again by EAHEA and a change fee is charged. The Applicant informs EAHEA of a Major Change before it puts the change into practice, and the accreditation does not cover the changed program or course until the review is completed. A Minor Change, which does not alter these elements, needs only a notice and no fee.
  10. ECTS Certification and Quality Certification. ECTS Certification is available for institutions that hold an EAHEA Course Accreditation. An institution that does not hold a Course Accreditation applies for Program Accreditation instead, which combines the scope of Course Accreditation and ECTS Certification for a whole degree program. Quality Certification is available only to EAHEA members (accredited members, Associate Members and Observer Members), and it is included in Associate Membership and Observer Membership without a further fee. The price of ECTS Certification and of Quality Certification that is not included in a membership is paid at once, in full, when the application is made. Both certifications are valid for one year and are renewed each year: Quality Certification automatically and free of charge for the holder of a valid Full Accreditation, Online Accreditation or Associate Membership, and ECTS Certification with the partner discount that the fee schedule gives to such a holder. A major change to a certified course or program is reviewed again and a change fee is charged.
  11. Students and complaints. An institution holding an accreditation status will provide students and/or trainees with the contact details of the EAHEA - European Association for Higher Education Advancement, and make them aware that they may communicate their satisfaction, complaints, or suggestions about their learning experience. All comments will be used for the permanent improvement of the accredited institution and to monitor that the EAHEA policies are respected.
  12. Role of EAHEA. EAHEA grants accreditation to educational institutes, vocational institutions, distance learning centers, online courses, and corporations, and certification to professionals, qualified individuals, instructors, and students, and admits members in the categories of its membership. EAHEA cannot give any titles or degrees to the students of an accredited institute, and cannot give authorization about a diploma, work, opening an office, etc. EAHEA does not control or oversee the documents, certificates, diplomas, titles, degrees, rights, and authorizations issued by the Applicant. All rights and legal liabilities of these belong to the Applicant that carries out the transaction. EAHEA periodically checks the educational quality of an accredited institution and the up-to-dateness of the curriculum of its course/program and reports to the relevant institution.
  13. Changes to a service. A status, a certificate or a membership is given for the institution, the program, the course or the person as they were evaluated. The Applicant informs EAHEA of a change before it puts the change into practice or, where the change is made by law or by a decision of an authority, without delay. A “Major Change” is a change that alters an element that the evaluation relied on: for an institution (Full Accreditation, Online Accreditation, Quality Certification and the memberships), its name, its legal status, its ownership or control, its legal address or its delivery mode; for a program or a course (Program Accreditation, Course Accreditation and ECTS Certification), its educational content (curriculum, syllabus), its duration or hours of study, its ECTS credits, its learning outcomes, its name or title, its level or its delivery mode; for a person, the field, the profession or the level of a certificate, the achievements on which the Doctor of Excellence rests, or the diploma, the credits or the qualification that a validation concerns. EAHEA decides whether a change is a Major Change. EAHEA reviews a Major Change again and charges a change fee, which is paid before the review starts. Until the review is completed and the change is confirmed, the status, the certificate or the membership does not cover the changed institution, program, course or qualification, and EAHEA may suspend it for a change to an institution. A change that does not alter these elements, such as a correction of a typing error, a change of teaching staff or a change of contact details, is a “Minor Change”: it needs only a notice and no review and no fee.

Use of the EAHEA Status, Name and Logo

  1. Accurate statements. The Applicant will state its EAHEA status accurately and completely wherever it is mentioned (website, social media, paid advertising, brochures, emails, certificates and student contracts): the exact status (accredited, or the exact membership category), the scope (institution or named programs only), the validity dates, and a link to the EAHEA verification page (www.eahea.org). It will not imply that EAHEA is a government body, a ministry, a regulator or a licensing authority, that a member is accredited, or that the status makes a degree equal to, or recognized as, a degree of a state university.
  2. Scope. A status granted for one service, program or level (for example bachelor, master, doctorate) will not be presented as covering other programs, levels or delivery modes. A membership will not be presented as accreditation, and a membership of an individual or an organization will not be presented as an accreditation or endorsement of the programs, courses or qualifications that it offers.
  3. Name and logo. The EAHEA name, the Accreditation logo, the EAHEA Member Logo and the certificates may be used only while the status or membership is valid and only in the form and for the purposes allowed by EAHEA. They may not be used to suggest that EAHEA endorses a price, a promotion, a discount, a guarantee or any commercial offer of the Applicant. A person or organization that is not an active member or accredited institution will not call itself one.
  4. Logo and Emblem Usage Guidelines. The use of the EAHEA name, logo, emblem, seal and badges is governed by the Logo & Emblem Usage Guidelines that EAHEA publishes on www.eahea.org (Documents and Forms). The rights of the Applicant to use them are defined in the Logo & Emblem Usage Guidelines and depend on them, and a use that does not follow them is not allowed.

Advertising, Pricing and Academic Integrity

  1. Honest advertising. All advertising and recruitment communication of the Applicant, in any medium and by any agent or partner acting for it, will be truthful, verifiable and not misleading. This includes claims about price, duration, recognition, rankings, student outcomes, employment, partnerships, the number of graduates, and EAHEA accreditation or membership.
  2. Transparent fees. The total cost of a program or service (tuition, registration, assessment, certificate, shipping, taxes and any other charge), the payment schedule and the refund conditions will be published before enrollment. Advertised prices will be the real prices. “From” prices, introductory offers and instalments must state the full amount and the conditions.
  3. Price and duration must fit the program. EAHEA does not set tuition levels. However, the tuition, the study time and the admission and assessment practices of a program must be consistent with its stated credit workload (for example ECTS), level, learning outcomes, teaching staff and assessment. A degree program advertised at a price or completion time that cannot reasonably support the stated academic content, teaching and assessment (for example a master’s or doctoral degree offered at a nominal price or within a few weeks) is a reason for EAHEA to open a review under article 23.
  4. No sale of qualifications. The Applicant will not award or offer a qualification for payment without real study and assessment, will not grant credit or degrees only on the basis of a fee, a CV or a short document check, and will not use “guaranteed degree”, “instant degree” or similar promises. Every qualification will rest on documented teaching, identity-verified assessment and a student record that can be shown to EAHEA.
  5. Student protection. An Applicant that enrols students will give each student a written enrollment agreement, keep accurate student records, handle complaints and refund requests in a documented and timely way, and, if it closes a program or ceases to operate, make arrangements that let enrolled students finish or receive a fair refund.

Monitoring and Compliance

  1. Monitoring and review. EAHEA may at any time review the website, social media pages, paid advertisements, enrollment documents, student feedback and other public statements of the Applicant, and may open a review of the Applicant on its own decision or after a complaint. The Applicant will answer EAHEA’s questions and provide the requested documents, evidence of claims and records within 15 days.
  2. Inspection. EAHEA has the right to check, with or without prior notice, whether the Applicant complies with this agreement, the EAHEA standards and the Code of Ethics Declaration Form. The Applicant will facilitate the check and will give the representatives of EAHEA access to its premises, online learning platforms, documents, records and staff. A refusal to facilitate a check is a breach of this agreement.
  3. Changes to be reported. The Applicant will inform EAHEA within 30 days of any material change: name, ownership or legal status, address, programs, delivery mode, fee structure, regulatory or court action against the Applicant, and the loss or restriction of any license.
  4. Contact details. The Applicant will inform EAHEA within 30 days of any change in its contact details, including its address, email addresses, telephone numbers, website, and the details of its authorized person and of its primary and financial contacts, and will ensure that the information given in the Institutional Contact Declaration & Update Form is accurate, complete and up to date at all times. If the Applicant does not inform EAHEA of a change, EAHEA may suspend the accreditation status and the membership of the Applicant.
  5. Corrective action, suspension and revocation. If EAHEA finds that this agreement or the EAHEA standards are not respected, it may, according to the seriousness of the case, send a warning, require a corrective action plan with a deadline, suspend the accreditation status or the membership, or revoke it. Misleading advertising, misuse of the EAHEA name, logo or certificate, claiming a status that is not held, sale of qualifications, a breach of the Code of Ethics Declaration Form, a failure to inform EAHEA of a change of contact details and a refusal to facilitate an inspection may lead to immediate suspension or revocation. Fees already paid are not refunded.
  6. Complaints from third parties. EAHEA may receive and examine any complaint about the Applicant that comes from a third party, whether or not that party is a student, a customer or another recipient of the services of the Applicant. EAHEA may ask the Applicant for an oral or written defense or explanation about the complaint, and the Applicant will give it in the time that EAHEA sets. According to the seriousness of the complaint, EAHEA may suspend the accreditation status or the membership of the Applicant, or may end the agreement and revoke the status. A suspended or revoked status is published under the public notice article.
  7. Public notice. EAHEA publishes the suspended or revoked status of the Applicant, together with a short factual reason for it, in its public directory, and continues to publish it for the limitation period of five (5) years, counted from the date of the decision of suspension or revocation. EAHEA may answer questions of students and the public about it. At the end of this period EAHEA removes the Applicant from the public directory, and the records of the Applicant and of the decision stay in the archive of EAHEA. If the status is reinstated, the notice is removed from the public directory at that time.

Term of membership and when a status ends

  1. Term and renewal. Associate, Affiliate and Observer Membership are valid for one year from the date of the certificate and end automatically when they are not renewed by paying the annual fee. EAHEA will remind the member, but a membership that is not renewed is not valid even if no reminder was received.
  2. Accredited Membership. Full Accreditation and Online Accreditation give the right to Accredited Membership of EAHEA, which is a full membership. The Applicant becomes an Accredited Member automatically when the accreditation is granted, without a separate application and without a separate membership fee, and Associate Membership gives the same rights for its term. A full member takes part in the determination of the management of EAHEA, has the right to vote at the General Assembly and has the other rights that the Articles of Association of EAHEA give to its members, and the Management Board decides whether a member with Accredited Membership (Full or Online Accreditation) or Associate Membership is admitted as a member of the General Assembly; where this page and the Articles of Association differ on these rights, the Articles of Association prevail. Affiliate Membership and Observer Membership are not full memberships and give no vote. The full membership lasts for as long as the accreditation or the Associate Membership lasts, and it ends or is suspended with it if it is not renewed, is suspended or revoked, or otherwise ends.
  3. After expiry, suspension or revocation. The Applicant will stop presenting itself as accredited by EAHEA or as an EAHEA member, remove the EAHEA name, logos, certificates and verification links from its website, social media, advertising and documents within 7 days, and will not state or imply that students enrolled during the accreditation hold an EAHEA accredited qualification beyond what the EAHEA records show.

Responsibility

  1. No endorsement of commercial offers; own checks. EAHEA is not a party to the contract between the Applicant and its students or customers, does not guarantee the Applicant’s offers, prices or promises, and does not accept responsibility for the Applicant’s acts, advertising or financial obligations. Students and the public are advised to check the accreditation status or membership in the EAHEA verification directory before enrolling or buying.
  2. Liability and indemnity. The Applicant is solely responsible towards its students, customers and third parties for its programs, services, advertising, documents and conduct. The Applicant will compensate and hold harmless EAHEA, its officers and reviewers from claims, losses and costs (including reasonable legal costs) that arise from the Applicant’s operations, advertising, qualifications or misuse of the accreditation status or membership.
  3. Action against misuse. EAHEA may take all steps allowed by law against the misuse of its name, logos, certificates, accreditation status or membership, including notice to the platforms and authorities concerned, and the Applicant will bear the costs that its misuse causes.

Certification and validation services

  1. Certification and validation. Professional Certification, Educator Certification, the Doctor of Excellence (Honoris Causa) and the validation services (Degree Validation, Academic Credits Certificate and Academic Equivalency Statement) are issued on the basis of the documents, statements and evidence that the Applicant submits and of the review that EAHEA makes of them. The decision on Professional Certification, Educator Certification and the Doctor of Excellence is taken by the majority of three votes, those of the EAHEA President, the EAHEA Secretary and one member of the Commission; where the votes are equal, the decision for which the EAHEA President voted prevails. The Applicant guarantees that these documents are genuine, complete and its own, and that it is entitled to use them; a false, forged or altered document, or a withheld fact, entitles EAHEA to refuse the service or to withdraw the certificate or statement at any time, without refund, and to inform the awarding institution and the authorities concerned. These certificates and statements are not an academic degree, a diploma, a license to practice a profession or to teach, an authorization to work, or an official or government recognition or equivalence of a qualification. The Doctor of Excellence is an honorary professional recognition and not an earned academic or research doctorate, and its holder will not present it as one. A validation or equivalency statement only confirms what EAHEA found in the submitted documents on the date of issue; it does not replace the decision of an employer, a university, a ministry or any other authority, which decide for themselves whether to accept it, and EAHEA is not responsible if it is not accepted. The holder will not alter a certificate or statement and will show it together with its validity date and verification link; EAHEA may suspend or withdraw it, with a notice in the verification directory, when it was obtained on false information.
  2. Professional and Educator Certificates. A Professional Certificate and an Educator Certificate are valid for five (5) years from the date of issue, because professional competencies change over time. The certificate is renewed every five years by paying the renewal fee, which extends it by another validity period, and a certificate that is not renewed ends. The other certificates and statements of the certification and validation services are issued without an end date and remain valid until they are withdrawn.

Sanctions and compliance

  1. Sanctions and restricted countries. EAHEA is a legal entity registered in Estonia and is directly subject to the law of the European Union, the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the Estonian International Sanctions Act (Rahvusvaheliste sanktsioonide seadus). For this reason EAHEA cannot provide accreditation, certification, validation, membership, recognition or any other service to institutions, organizations or persons that are located in, organized under the law of, or acting for or on behalf of high-risk and prohibited countries and territories that are subject to severe sanctions or a full embargo, or that are themselves subject to sanctions (for example listed persons and entities, and entities owned or controlled by them). The Applicant confirms that neither it, nor its owners, officers or beneficial owners, nor any person acting for it is in such a position, and will inform EAHEA at once if this changes. EAHEA may ask for further information and documents, may refuse an application, suspend or end a service and withdraw a status, certificate or membership at any time and without liability if it finds or reasonably suspects a breach of these rules or if the law requires it, and may freeze or return funds and report to the competent authorities where the law requires. The countries, persons and entities concerned are those of the sanctions of the European Union, the United Nations and Estonia, and they can change without notice.

General

  1. Governing law and courts. This agreement, and every dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it, with the accreditation, certification or validation services or with the membership, are governed by the laws of the Republic of Estonia. The parties will first try to settle a dispute in good faith by written notice. Any dispute that is not settled within 30 days is submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Estonia, in the first instance the Harju County Court (Harju Maakohus) in Tallinn. This does not take away mandatory rights that cannot be waived by agreement.
  2. Acceptance and changes. The person who submits the application confirms that they are authorized to accept this agreement for the Applicant and that they have read it. EAHEA may update these terms; the version published on its website when the status is granted or renewed applies, and continued use of the status or membership after a notified change means acceptance of it.
  3. Severability. If a provision of this agreement is found invalid, the remaining provisions stay in force.

Version: 3.7 / Date: October 28, 2026