Accreditation

Accreditation is a review procedure of a higher education institution and/or of degree programmes on which state recognition is based. AQ Austria also carries out accreditations abroad.

Audit

We conduct audits at Austrian universities, universities of applied sciences and university colleges of teacher education. Thereby the internal quality management system of the institution is certified.

Analyses and reports

Within the field of quality at higher education institutions, AQ Austria conducts analyses on topics of focus and on cross-sectional issues that concern more than one higher education institution or the entire higher education system.

Consulting

We offer consulting to universities, higher education institutions and university-related research institutions for issues relating to quality enhancement, quality assurance and quality management.

Evaluation

We organise evaluations which are designed as peer review procedures for universities, higher education institutions as well as university-related research institutions in Austria and abroad.

Notification of foreign degree programmes

AQ Austria is set up as the notification office pursuant to § 27 (3) HS-QSG and carries out notification procedures for foreign degree programmes pursuant to §§ 27, 27a and 27b HS-QSG.

AQ Austria

In 2012, the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ Austria) was established as an agency for quality assurance for Austrian higher education institutions on the basis of the Act on Quality Assurance in Higher Education (HS-QSG).


According to AQ Austria's legal remit, AQ Austria is responsible for the entire higher education sector in Austria. In carrying out its responsibilities, AQ Austria follows these basic principles: 

  • The higher education institutions (HEIs) bear the main responsibility for the quality of their activities and for quality assurance and improvement.
  • AQ Austria understands its procedures as supplementary to an HEI's internal quality assurance. It is independent in what it does and not bound by any instructions Decisions in quality assurance procedures are made exclusively in accordance with quality criteria.
  • Quality assurance procedures are modelled on international good practice standards, especially the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
  • Cooperation with HEIs and other interested parties is the basis for the development of procedure rules and standards or criteria.

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