We have a separate Scottish office, known as QAA Scotland. QAA Scotland works closely with the Scottish Government, Universities Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council, and other higher education organisations, to develop and operate arrangements that reflect the needs of higher education in Scotland.
The work of QAA Scotland covers a broad range of issues and much of our work is part of the quality enhancement framework. Our work supports and makes use of the Academic Infrastructure while developing it specifically for the Scottish sector.
The work of QAA Scotland: enhancing quality in Scottish higher education (PDF)
Reviews in Scotland
We review higher education in Scotland using Enhancement-led institutional review (ELIR). ELIR focuses on the institution's ability to manage the standards of its academic awards and the quality of the learning opportunities it provides for its students
Working in partnership
QAA Scotland manages the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF) in partnership with the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Universities Scotland, Scotland's Colleges and the Scottish Government. Find out more about this work on the SCQF website.
As part of the quality enhancement framework, QAA supports a programme of national Enhancement Themes, and we also coordinate a process of 'International Benchmarking'. There is a dedicated Enhancement Themes website with details of events, news and outcomes of these areas of work.
QAA Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, Vitae and the Higher Education Academy are undertaking an integrated programme of work in the area of the Postgraduate Research Degree Experience.
Our work to support development in credit and access includes activities coordinated by the then Scottish Advisory Committee on Credit and Access (a joint committee with Universities Scotland). The SACCA website provides details of some of these activities
QAA Scotland works with the Higher Education Academy and the Centre for Recording Achievement on Personal Development Planning (PDP).
Universities Scotland Teaching Quality Forum - Good practice reports.
Student engagement
Students are actively engaged in our work including as members of ELIR teams and as members of Enhancement Theme Steering Committees. We also work with and are one of the stakeholder organisations of the national support service 'student participation in quality scotland' (sparqs).
Protocol for managing potential risks to quality and academic standards - HTML | PDF
QAA Scotland has developed a protocol for managing potential risks to quality and academic standards. It is intended to have a similar role to the Causes for Concern arrangements that operate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is not a mechanism for addressing individual complaints or grievances. These should still be addressed through the institution's internal mechanisms and, ultimately, via the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
Contact QAA Scotland
For more information, please contact our QAA Scotland office.
Want to compare the main qualifications in Scotland to other countries in the UK and Ireland?
Take a look at the updated easy-to-use guide - Qualifications can cross boundaries - a rough guide to comparing qualifications in the UK and Ireland (PDF)
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