Revised Policy on the Use and Interpretations of the ESG

Following the consultation launched last year on the “Policy on the Use and Interpretation of the ESG” (U&I), the revised version of the document has now been published. The Register Committee took in comments and suggestions that were provided by review agencies, review panel members, review coordinators and former RC members.

The Policy on the Use and Interpretation of the ESG (Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area) assists applicant QA agencies, review panels and the Register Committee itself when interpreting the standards. The document supports a common understanding, without aiming to be exhaustive or exclusive. In this way, it provides an ex ante transparency of the official EQAR interpretation of the ESG and aims to increase transparency, understanding and consistency within the decision-making process of the Register Committee.

Check out the revised “Policy on the Use and Interpretation of the ESG”

The first version of “Use and Interpretations of the ESG” came to light in 2015, followed by second version in 2020, which took into account the new practices and approaches in external quality assurance (including those developed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and also the developments in higher education).

Having gained new insights from considering over 50 new applications since the last revision, the Register Committee proposed a set of revisions to the U&I to reflect the precedents in its decision making. In early 2024, EQAR launched an online survey where EQAR-registered agencies, panel members, review coordinators and former Register Committee members were invited to provide suggestions, based on their experience of working with the U&I. Based on this feedback and further consultations with key stakeholders, the Register Committee adopted the final revised version at the end of 2024.

In order to facilitate understanding of the revised U&I, we are organising a webinar on the revised “Policy on the Use and Interpretation of the ESG”. During the webinar we will clarify the revisions and the reasoning behind these changes, describe the consultation process as well as the “raison d’être” of the U&I, and of course answer any questions that you might have.

The webinar is scheduled for 28 February 2025 at 13:00 (CET) and will last 1,5 hours. Please contact the EQAR Secretariat (e-mail: info[at]eqar.eu) if you would like to attend the webinar.