• 1. Legal basis and recognition

    The quality assurance agency is legally established and is recognized by relevant stakeholders.

  • 2. Mission

    The quality assurance agency has a defined and publicized mission that explicitly states its role in external quality assurance of higher education, outlining the purpose and scope of its activities.

  • 3. Governance

    The quality assurance agency has a clear governance model, ensuring its independence and accountability to key stakeholders.

  • 4. Organizational structure

    The quality assurance agency’s organizational structure supports the effective, efficient, and transparent execution of its mission and objectives.

  • 5. Resources and capacity

    The quality assurance agency has adequate physical, financial, technological, and human resources to fulfil its mission and objectives.

  • 6. Strategic planning

    The quality assurance agency is guided by robust strategic planning, ensuring that its quality assurance activities align with its mission and support tracking progress and impact towards goals.

  • 7. Quality assurance procedures

    The quality assurance agency conducts its external quality assurance activities based on transparent, clear, and comprehensive procedures.

  • 8. Quality assurance standards

    The quality assurance agency conducts its external quality assurance activities based on publicly available, clear, and actionable standards.

  • 9. Fitness for purpose and institutional autonomy

    The quality assurance agency ensures that its quality assurance procedures and standards are and remain fit-for-purpose for the different and evolving types of higher education providers and provision within its remit, acknowledging institutional autonomy and diversity.

  • 10. Evaluation and decision making

    The quality assurance agency’s evaluation procedures ensure its quality assurance findings are evidence-based, consistent, fair, and impartial.

  • 11. Peer-reviewers

    The quality assurance agency has policies for the recruitment, training, and appointment of a suitable pool of peer-reviewers, ensuring that they have the necessary expertise and preparation to conduct its different external quality assurance activities effectively, impartially, consistently, and professionally.

  • 12. Transparency of outcomes

    The quality assurance agency publicly shares the findings of its quality assurance activity, in line with cultural, legal, and regulatory requirements, and publishes the list of those providers that have successfully met quality assurance standards.

  • 13. Internal quality assurance

    The quality assurance agency has transparent internal quality assurance mechanisms that ensure its organizational structure, objectives, and activities remain fit-for-purpose and respond to the evolving nature of higher education and the changing policy environment.

  • 14. External reviews of agencies

    The quality assurance agency undergoes regular external reviews of its operations and engages proactively and constructively with the resulting recommendations and required actions.

  • 15. Integrity and transparency

    The quality assurance agency adheres to defined ethical and professional principles, supported by formal policies and procedures that ensure integrity is embedded in all aspects of its work.

  • 16. Stakeholder engagement

    The quality assurance agency is aware of its stakeholder environment and proactively and strategically engages with a diverse range of stakeholders to support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of its quality assurance activities, while advancing its mission.

  • 17. International engagement

    The quality assurance agency engages internationally to support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of its quality assurance activities.

  • 18. Thematic analysis and guidance

    The quality assurance agency prepares and disseminates thematic analyses and guidance documents to contribute to the enhancement of higher education and quality assurance.