Who we are
In 1997, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) was established to provide an integrated quality assurance service for UK higher education.
We are an independent body funded by subscriptions from universities and colleges of higher education (our subscribers), and through contracts with the main higher education funding bodies.
We are governed by a Board, which has overall responsibility for the conduct and strategic direction of our business.
Our responsibilities
Each university and college of higher education is responsible for ensuring that appropriate standards are being achieved and a good quality education is being offered.
It is our responsibility to safeguard the public interest in sound standards of higher education qualifications, and to encourage continuous improvement in the management of the quality of higher education.
We achieve this by reviewing standards and quality, and providing reference points that help to define clear and explicit standards.
Reviewing standards and quality
Academic standards are a way of describing the level of achievement that a student has to reach to gain an academic award (for example, a degree). They should be at a similar level across the UK.
Academic quality is a way of describing how well the learning opportunities available to students help them to achieve their award. It is about making sure that appropriate and effective teaching, support, assessment and learning opportunities are provided for them.
We use peer review processes where teams of academics conduct our audits and reviews. Some team members are drawn from industry and the professions.
In England, universities and colleges of higher education are reviewed through an institutional audit. Further education colleges that provide higher education programmes are reviewed through an academic review at subject level.
Institutional audit aims to ensure that institutions are providing higher education, awards and qualifications of an acceptable quality and an appropriate academic standard; and exercising their legal powers to award degrees in a proper manner.
Institutional audit: England and Northern Ireland >>
Where a university or college of higher education has collaborative arrangements that are too large or complex to be included in institutional audit, they have a collaborative provision audit.
Collaborative provision audit >>
Academic review at subject level looks at subject areas against the broad aims of the subject provider. Judgements are made about the academic standards and the quality of learning opportunities for students.
In England, we also review healthcare education.
Major review of NHS-funded healthcare programmes in England recognises the key importance of teaching and learning within a practice setting, as well as within higher education institutions. The Department of Health has contracted with us to carry out this work.
The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) has contracted with us to carry out QAA GOsC review of osteopathic programmes of study and universities and colleges that provide them.
Reviews of healthcare education >>
In Scotland, enhancement-led institutional review (ELIR) has been designed by us in collaboration and consultation with Universities Scotland and its member universities and colleges, the student bodies in Scotland and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. It is an integral element of the enhancement-led approach to managing quality and standards in Scottish higher education.
ELIR focuses on the deliberate steps taken by each univeristy or college of higher education to continually improve the learning experience of students.
Universities Scotland
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council
In Wales, institutional review aims to ensure that institutions are providing higher education, awards and qualifications of both an acceptable quality and appropriate academic standard; and exercising their legal powers to award degrees in a proper manner.
Institutional review applies to all higher education regardless of the source of funding, including higher education programmes provided by further education colleges.
Institutional review: Wales >>
In Northern Ireland, universities are reviewed using the institutional audit method developed for England.
Institutional audit: England and Northern Ireland >>
We also conduct overseas audits. We audit collaborative arrangements between UK universities and colleges of higher education and organisations overseas that lead to the award of degrees from UK universities and colleges of higher education.
Defining clear and explicit standards
We help to define clear and explicit standards for public information and as reference points for our review activities. We have worked with the higher education sector and other stakeholders on the following initiatives:
The frameworks for higher education qualifications promote a clearer understanding of the achievements and attributes represented by the main qualification titles, such as bachelor's degree with honours, or master's degree. There are two frameworks: one for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and one for Scotland, which is part of a wider Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
The frameworks for higher education qualifications >>
Subject benchmark statements set out expectations about the standards of degrees in a range of subject areas.
Subject benchmark statements >>
Programme specifications are the sets of information that each institution provides about its programmes.
The Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (the Code of practice) is a guideline on good practice for universities and colleges, relating to the management of academic standards and quality. The Code of practice has 10 sections:
- Postgraduate research programmes
- Collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning)
- Students with disabilities
- External examining
- Academic appeals and
student complaints on
academic matters - Assessment of students
- Programme approval, monitoring and review
- Career education, information and guidance
- Placement learning
- Recruitment and admissions
Progress files help to make the outcomes, or results, of learning in higher education more explicit and more valuable. They include three elements: the transcript of achievement; personal and development planning; and the students' own personal development records.
Other activities
We advise Government on applications for the grant of degree awarding powers, university title, or designation as a higher education institution.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we run an Access recognition scheme, where we license Authorised Validating Agencies (AVAs) to recognise Access to Higher Education courses and to issue certificates to successful students, using our official Access to Higher Education logo.
Access to Higher Education courses enable mature students from under-represented groups to progress to higher education. The AVAs are consortia that develop, validate and review Access to Higher Education courses.
We are involved in international quality assurance initiatives. This includes membership of the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education and the European Network for Quality Assurance.
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