International Accreditation

AQ Austria offers voluntary accreditation of institutions or study programs to higher education institutions outside Austria. The accreditation of study programs certifies that they meet the key requirements of the European Higher Education Area for degree programs. The procedural rules comply with the principles of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). In this way, AQ Austria supports the international recognition of study programs.

In international procedures, the higher education institution and AQ Austria conclude a contract that defines the basis and the respective rights and obligations in the procedure, thus determining the course of the procedure. The Board of AQ Austria makes the accreditation decision and is independent and not bound by any instructions.

In international institutional accreditation procedures, the criteria include compliance with standards for institutional structure, range of activities, and governance of higher education institutions that are common in the European Higher Education Area. The criteria for international program accreditation include compliance with the essential elements of the study architecture of the European Higher Education Area, the European Higher Education Area Qualifications Framework, the ECTS, the Diploma Supplement, and the ESG, as well as the standards for assessing the quality of the higher education institution and its study programs. They relate to qualification objectives, the program concept, human resources, facilities and equipment, and internal quality assurance at the higher education institution.

The results of the completed procedures are published here by AQ Austria.

AQ Austria is authorized to conduct system accreditations in Germany in accordance with the provisions of the Model Legal Regulation (MRVO). In these procedures, AQ Austria conducts an assessment to determine whether the higher education quality management system complies with the relevant criteria set out in Sections 11-21 MRVO. AQ Austria then supports the higher education institution in submitting its application to the German Accreditation Council.

The assessment procedure is regulated in detail in Sections 22–33 of the MRVO. AQ Austria bases its costs on the fee schedule of the Accreditation Council Foundation.

The results of the completed procedures are also published on the website of the German Accreditation Council.

Articles 28 and 29 of Switzerland's Higher Education Promotion and Coordination Act (HFKG) stipulate that public or private higher education institutions wishing to use the designation “university,” “university of applied sciences,” or “university college of teacher education” must first obtain institutional accreditation, which is also a prerequisite for receiving federal funding.

In a decision dated December 13, 2024, the Swiss Accreditation Council approved AQ Austria to carry out institutional accreditation procedures. These procedures serve as the basis for the Swiss Accreditation Council's decision on institutional accreditation.

The relevant rules for conducting these procedures and the legal accreditation requirements have been laid down by the Swiss Higher Education Council in its own accreditation guidelines. AQ Austria has explained the rules for conducting the procedure in a guide.