Application for Accreditation & Fees
Accreditation of Educational Institutions
THE PROCESS OF ACCREDITATION OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Any educational institution that intends to earn the accreditation status from the Education Quality Accreditation Commission must demonstrate compliance, through the application for accreditation (Self Assessment Report), with the education quality standards set forth by the Education Quality Accreditation Commission.
Click here to download the Application for Accreditation (Self Assessment Report .docx)
1. Consideration of eligibility.
Accreditation focuses on higher education institutions. An eligible member must be any kind of organization, entity or company properly authorized to conduct higher educational teaching and certification, to award postsecondary degrees, certificates or other educational or professional credentials.
The entities eligible for accreditation must prepare individuals to achieve competencies and attain the educational qualifications necessary to begin functioning in a specific occupation. In other words, they must prepare individuals in a branch of knowledge, science, art or business that has application in a specific occupation, usually requiring significant specialized training, or profession.
2. Application for Accreditation.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission has prepared an application for accreditation that will guide the applicant institutions in the preparation of the Self Study Report and the required documentary evidence. The applicant may download and print this application for accreditation, then fill it out and finally send it out to the EQAC Secretary by email (.doc, .pdf or .jpg formats are accepted), or regular mail.
This application is a legally binding contract between the Education Quality Accreditation Commission and the applicant institution that states the rights and obligations of both parties.
The applicant institution may submit the application for verification of its accreditation eligibility without including any fee. Once the EQAC Secretary confirms the eligible options, the applicant institution is entitled to pay the corresponding fee.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission will not start any accreditation process without the corresponding application.
Click here to download the Application for Accreditation (Self Assessment Report .docx)
3. Accreditation Fees.
The institution of education applying for accreditation to the Education Quality Accreditation Commission must pay the accreditation fee once the eligibility has been confirmed by the EQAC Secretary, and before any actual evaluation of the accreditation process starts.
4. Evaluation process.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission Secretary will distribute the application for accreditation and attached documents to an available member of the commission for the assessment of how each standard is addressed by the applicant educational institution. Each standard is graded in a 0 to 4 scale.
The evaluation of each standard is graded according to the following scale:
- 4 - OUTSTANDING > No need for improvement.
- 3 - STANDARD > May improve.
- 2 - ACCEPTABLE > Requires improvement.
- 1 - INSUFFICIENT > Not meeting the minimums.
- 0 - NULE > Failed to comply with this requirement.
5. Interview or site visit.
If deemed necessary, the commissioner may require an interview with the appointed representative of the applicant educational institution or arrange a site visit from a member of the commission. This action is usually scheduled if the material provided by the applicant is insufficient for a clear judgment, or for further clarification about specific accreditation standards. The travel costs and expenses related to the interview or site visit will be paid by the applicant educational institution. The interview or site visit goals, schedule and budget will be settled in advance by the Education Quality Accreditation Commission Secretary in consultation with the applicant. Usually one day interview or visit will be enough to resolve any concerns.
6. Announcement.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission Secretary will communicate the results of the initial evaluation results status to the other members of the Commission. The other members of the Commission have 12 days since the announcement to review and amend the conclusions and grades of the initial accreditation report.
7. Conclusion.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission Secretary will communicate the results of the accreditation status and any grade amendments from the other commissioners to the president of the EQAC. The president will review the accreditation report to resolve any discrepancies that may have occurred during the standards grading. The final grades of the accreditation report are endorsed by the president of the Education Quality Accreditation Commission.
The EQAC Secretary will inform the new applicant educational institution of the conclusions of the accreditation report and will provide suggestions, if applicable. In the case that full accreditation is gained, the Education Quality Accreditation Commission Secretary will send the corresponding accreditation diploma.
In any case the detailed accreditation report is always sent to the applicant.
The resulting average will determine the accreditation status:
- Full accreditation (Final average ranging 3,0 - 4,0)
Requires re-accreditation review every five years. - Conditional accreditation (Final average ranging 2,0 - 2,9)
This is a one year long temporary status. The educational institution must undergo a new re-accreditation review within 12 months of conditional accreditation. If full accreditation is not achieved in this review, the accreditation status will be denied. - Denial of accreditation (Final average ranging 0,0 - 1,9)
The Commission will explain the reasons for the denial. The accreditation fee is not refundable in this situation. Any educational institution in this case may reapply for accreditation after a 12-month-period.
Fees for the Accreditation of Educational Institutions
FEES FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF EDUCATION
The institution of education applying for accreditation to the Education Quality Accreditation Commission must pay the accreditation fee once the eligibility has been confirmed by the EQAC Secretary, and before any actual evaluation of the accreditation process starts.
Accreditation: 1.300 Euros
- This fee is payable upon acceptance of the eligibility of the institution into the accreditation process.
- This fee includes the evaluation of the application for accreditation (Self Assessment Report).
- This fee includes the final applicant accreditation assessment report.
- This fee includes the first year of accreditation maintenance fee.
- This fee does NOT include any additional expenses derived from required site visits.
OPTIONAL - External Consulting Fees: 500 to 1.500 Euros
The Accreditation Self Assessment Report often requires a lot of work and dedication form CEOs or Deans who lack the time to do it. Completing the Self Assessment Report is not an easy task to delegate to other peers. External consultants may help successfully in the completion of this process in exchange for a fee. External consultants are usually members of the EQAC knowledgeable of the EQAC standards. The consultant will not be the commissioner assigned for the evaluation of the Accreditation Self Assessment Report to avoid any conflict of interest.
- This fee is optional and payable directly to the consultant of the accreditation process.
- This fee will vary depending on the range of services offered by the consultant.
- This fee does not include the Accreditation Self Assessment Report fee payable to EQAC.
- This fee will likely avoid any additional expenses derived from required site visits.
- Failure to pay the agreed consulting fee may impede the completion of the accreditation process.
Re-accreditation: 900 Euros
- The re-accreditation process is the same as the initial accreditation process.
- This fee includes the re-evaluation of the application for accreditation.
- This fee includes the final applicant accreditation assessment report.
- This fee includes the the year of accreditation maintenance fee.
- This fee does NOT include any additional expenses derived from required site visits.
Yearly Maintenance Fee: 300 Euros per year
This fee is payable every year since the date of the full accreditation of the institution.
The EQAC accreditation is an important recognition because it gives the assurance to the public, in particular to prospective students, that you, as an education provider, meet quality educational standards in the global market.
The EQAC accredited institutions are entitled to:
- Claim Accreditation by the EQAC.
- Use the EQAC name and seal.
- Receive an accreditation diploma.
- Be listed on the EQAC Web as an Accredited member.
- The EQAC Web will provide a link to the accredited member web.
- Use the EQAC monitoring and feedback services.
- Be periodically informed of any comments received on its behalf.
- Get a fee invoice for tax deduction purposes.
- Promote your institution through the EQAC Education Network.
AND ONCE ACCREDITED YOUR GRADUATES MAY ALSO VALIDATE THE DEGREES & DIPLOMAS EARNED AT YOUR INSTITUTION!!!
This is a very much appreciated added value to your degree program.
Benefits of the Accreditation from EQAC:
Improvement.
The accredited member institution going through the self assessment process guided by the Education Quality Accreditation Commission standards will learn how to further enhance its educational quality, how to improve its internal and administrative processes and how to optimize its overall outcome.
Recognition.
Each Education Quality Accreditation Commission accredited member institution will receive a recognition diploma certifying the accreditation. This status may be permanently checked by any third party at the EQAC website.
Promotion.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission will promote its accredited members through the Internet and will forward any request to the appropriate institution. The Education Quality Accreditation Commission will finally reinforce the decision process of some potential students by emailing verification of the accreditation status of its members to any questioner.
Networking.
All the EQAC accredited member institutions aim towards a similar quality and long terms goals despite of their country of origin. This goal is reassured by the EQAC accreditation they share. This fact facilitates the establishment of diverse types of international cooperation and agreements among member institutions, such as learning from other colleagues around the world, establishing academic synergies, creating cooperative global market strategies, etc...
Quality Control.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission accreditation does not only provide a warranty of academic quality, educational integrity and administrative responsibility of the accredited institutions, but also ensures a continuous quality monitoring and feedback. The EQAC welcomes complains, suggestions and comments related to any member institution. These comments may provide a useful and quick feedback to the institution about any academic or marketing actions it conducts. Comments are also efficient to help the institution in detecting problems as well as to monitor that EQAC standards are respected.
Conflict Resolution.
The Education Quality Accreditation Commission may intervene in several ways in the resolution of conflict within the different layers of the accredited institution. The EQAC may arbitrate disputes between members and/or students. The EQAC may guide and support the institution during periods of serious difficulty, potential liability, insecurity of continuation and even possible shut down. The Education Quality Accreditation Commission advice will be always aimed to preserve the student welfare.
Education Quality Accreditation Commission
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Click here to download the Application for Accreditation (Self Assessment Report .docx)
