News

The Decree of the Board of AQ Austria on the Accreditation of Universities of Applied Sciences 2024 and on the Accreditation of Private Higher Education 2024 came into force on 15 January 2025.

These decrees regulate the procedures that private universities, private universities and universities of applied sciences must undergo as a prerequisite for state recognition (accreditation). They form the basis for commencing study operations or launching new degree programmes.

Accredited private universities and universities of applied sciences, as well as accredited degree programmes, bear the AQ Austria seal of quality.

Further information on the accreditation procedures of AQ Austria can be found here.

After a thorough examination and hearing, the Swiss Accreditation Council decided in its meeting on 13 December 2024 to recognise AQ Austria as an agency for institutional accreditation in accordance with the HEdA.

This recognition authorises AQ Austria to carry out accreditation procedures in Switzerland. The recognition is valid - subject to EQAR registration - until 31 December 2029.

On 1 December 2024, the Decree of the Board of AQ Austria on the Notification Procedures for Degree Programmes of Foreign Educational Institutions 2024 entered into force.

This decree regulates the procedure for the notification of educational institutions from EU or EEA countries (§ 27a HS-QSG) or the procedure as well as the assessment criteria for the notification of educational institutions from non-EU or non-EEA countries (§ 27b HS-QSG).

Further information can be found here.

Academic and artistic integrity has been an important quality issue for AQ Austria since the HS-QSG amendment in 2024. As a member of the Global Academic Integrity Network (GAIN), we are pleased to develop the topic not only in the Austrian context, but also together with international experts.

The Board of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) extended AQ Austria's membership for another five years at its meeting in mid-September 2024. The EQAR Review Committee had already confirmed AQ Austria's registration in the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) for a further five years at the beginning of July.

With the final decision of the ENQA Board, AQ Austria has now received official confirmation that its procedures comply with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

ENQA membership and EQAR registration are now valid until 2029.

The online conference of the European RPL Network took place on several days in November 2024, each day 11:00-12:30 CET:

• 5.11.2024    Understanding RPL: The what, why and how of RPL
• 6.11.2024    Navigating RPL: Leadership and Policy Perspectives in Europe
• 12.11.2024  Implementing RPL in Higher Education Institutions: Building a trust-based
                        culture
• 13.11.2024  European collaboration for RPL: Sharing good practice within and across
                        borders.

Find more information, presentations and recordings here.

Due to a technical changeover, all telephone numbers of AQ Austria will change from 26 August 2024.

You can reach the Secretariat of AQ Austria at the following new telephone numbers:

0664/78042262 and 0677/61495429.

The new telephone numbers of our employees can be found in this overview.

Please update your documents accordingly and use only the new telephone numbers for all telephone enquiries and correspondence from 26 August 2024.

Our previous e-mail addresses, postal address and other contact details will remain unchanged.

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Following a successful targeted review by ENQA - European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in February 2024, AQ Austria has successfully renewed its registration on the EQAR - European Quality Assurance Register.

The EQAR Register Committee, at its meeting in Brussels on 1-2 July, concluded that AQ Austria demonstrated compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

All reports and decisions made by AQ Austria are published in DEQAR - Database of External Quality Assurance Results. AQ Austria's renewed inclusion on the EQAR is valid until May 2029.

A quality feature for the Austrian higher education area

Date:                        Tuesday, 17.09.2024,10:00 – 16:30, Registration starts 09:00
Venue:                     Tech Gate Vienna, Donau-City-Straße 1, 1220 Vienna

Conference Fee:    € 170,- / Students € 60,-

Registration:          To register as a participant please contact jahrestagung24@aq.ac.at.

                                  If you  speak German, please register here (Registration ends on 10.09.2024).

Academic and artistic integrity is currently the focus of public and higher education attention. The development of a culture of academic and artistic integrity is central to the quality of the Austrian higher education system and affects all sectors, stakeholders and levels. The AQ Austria Annual Conference 2024 will address these different viewpoints from a national and international perspective.

Further information can be found here.

An ENQA Experts’ Panel visited AQ Austria from February 21 to 23. We thank Heli
Matissen, Durdica Dragojevic, Tim McIntyre-Bhatty and Adrian Korzeniowski for their
valuable feedback during the open and collegial talks. Thanks also to Fiona Crozier for the
smooth organisation on behalf of ENQA.

The involvement of external stakeholders and the commitment of employees created an
inspiring environment for knowledge exchange and insightful discussions among
participants.

On the second day of the visit, a particularly rewarding workshop was held on the
enhancement-oriented topic of internal quality management and professional
conduct (ESG 3.6). This session provided an open platform for participants to reflect on their
own work, address challenges, and explore innovative approaches for further development of
AQ Austria. The panel’s sharing of expertise and the collaborative work contributed to a
dynamic and constructive dialogue between the Panel and AQ Austria’s staff.

A concluding debriefing session provided finally an opportunity for reflections and the
sharing of valuable feedback through the ENQA-Panel. The insights gained during the review
serve as significant "food for thought”, inspiring further improvements and initiatives at AQ
Austria to stay committed to quality, continuous improvement, and to fostering a
culture of collaboration for the benefit of its stakeholders and the Austrian higher education
area.

ENQA-Panel and AQ Austria staff members.