Official documents
Policies
This general policy explains how the EQAR Register Committee has used and interpreted the ESG for the European Register of quality assurance agencies. It addresses quality assurance agencies seeking inclusion on the Register and all those involved in the external review of quality assurance agencies.
- Use and Interpretation of the ESG (version 4.0 – November 2024)
The policy explains the eligibility, scope, focus and the process for targeted reviews. This document is addressed to both quality assurance agencies and review panel members preparing for a targeted review. These reviews are made available for those agencies that have previously renewed their registration on EQAR successfully at least once.
- Policy on Targeted Reviews (version 1.0 – July 2021)
This policy addresses the registration status of EQAR-registered quality assurance agencies after a merger, including the conditions, requirements and timeframes for merged agencies to remain on the Register.
- Merger Policy (version 1.0 – January 2012)
The Code of Conduct serves as a reference for EQAR committee members and staff in exercising their functions.
- Code of Conduct Version 3.0 – December 2023
Individuals or organisations that have substantiated doubts whether a registered agency does comply substantially with the ESG, may address these in line with EQAR’s Third-Party Complaints Policy.
- Third Party Complaints Policy Version 3.0 – January 2015
The policy elaborates on the Register Committee’s specific understanding and application of the requirements for external reviews of quality assurance agencies. Quality assurance agencies seeking to choose a review coordinator other than ENQA should be guided by these minimum requirements.
- Eligibility of Review Coordinators and Panels Version 1.0 – December 2020
Procedures
Applicants can file an appeal against decisions of the Register Committee on procedural grounds or in the case of perversity of judgment and aims to change the decision. The official rules thereof are specified in Section 1: Appeals.
Applicants may also complain and express a dissatisfaction with regards to EQAR’s processes or those carrying it out, without specifically aiming to change the decision. The rules and provisions are specified in Section 2: Complaints.
- Appeals and Complaints Procedure Version 2.0 – April 2022
The binding regulations for applications are laid down in the EQAR Procedures for Applications.
- Procedures for Applications Version 5.0 – June 2022
Other
The following Strategy was adopted at the General Assembly in 2024:
The second EQAR Strategy was adopted at the General Assembly of 2018:
The first Strategic Plan was adopted at the 2013 General Assembly:
- Version 4.0 English – 13 October 2023
- Version 4.0 French – 13 Octobre 2023
After the founding assembly in 2008, a first, minor, statutory revision took place a few months later. The next statutory revision took place in 2017 and was held at the notary’s office, in order to allow for the implementation of the “office” of an EQAR President.
The most recent statutory revision took place in 2023. This review of the Statutes was required to align them with the new Companies and Associations Code (CAC), which entered into force in 2019; the review had to be completed in 2023 at the latest. At the same time, following the external evaluation of 2021, a few specific revisions to the EQAR Statutes were introduced to provide for more clarity in the structures as well as to improve stakeholder involvement.
Guiding Questions for Panels: external quality assurance of activities in development
This document is intended for external review panels that are reviewing activities within the scope of the ESG, that at the time of the site visit have not been launched yet, but are in a planning or pilot phase. These guiding questions serve as a possible aiding tool and are not obligatory for panels.
The essence
The Register Committee has published guiding questions that can be used as an aiding tool by external review panels, when reviewing activities within the scope of the ESG that at the time of the site visit have not been launched yet, but are in a planning or pilot phase. Since this document deals with activities that have not yet been launched at the time of the external review, the reflections of the panel will not impact the judgement of compliance by the Register Committee.
The rationale
Between the cyclical reviews, agencies often introduce new activities and/or revise existing ones. Agencies are expected to inform EQAR of these changes via change reports. Assessing compliance of these newly introduced or revised activities can, however, be challenging for the EQAR Register Committee without an in-depth external peer review.
Since the external reviews are an excellent opportunity for the Register Committee to gain insight in an activity before listing it on the Register, the RC finds it beneficial to include the pilot activities in the external reviews, even if they have not been launched in their final form yet.
Added value
The guiding questions are aimed at reviewers. QA agencies also stand to benefit from this approach. Based on experience so far, external feedback on pilot activities can help the agency with the further development of their methodologies.
Use and application
The guiding questions are not obligatory for the panels.The use of this document will, however, make EQAR’s decision making process more efficient (e.g. by reducing the need for further clarification from the panel and/or the QA agency after the external review report is submitted to EQAR).
The document also presents some good practices from external review reports of evaluated EQAR registered agencies and highlights situations in which review panels already considered activities in development at the time of the review.
The Rules of Procedure are adopted by the General Assembly and provide further specification in areas not regulated by the Statutes.
- Rules of Procedure Version 3.0 – October 2023
The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) serve as criteria for inclusion on the Register.
- ESG 2015 – adopted in May 2015
The European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes was adopted by ministers responsible for higher education in order to ease the external quality assurance of these programmes.
- The European Approach – adopted in May 2015
For information on how the EQAR Procedures and existing Policies were understood and applied in light of the exceptional circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to the page COVID-19 consequences.