News
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3 January 2025
ACCUA renews its registration in EQAR
The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) has renewed the registration of the Agency for Scientific and University Quality of Andalusia (ACCUA) until March 2029, confirming its compliance with European standards.
ACCUA has successfully renewed its registration in the European Register EQAR as an entity authorized to evaluate and accredit higher education institutions and programs in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). This accreditation ensures the official recognition of more than 1.300 higher education degree programs offered by Andalusian universities.
Every five years, external quality assurance agencies operating in Europe must undergo an external review to demonstrate their compliance with the ESG standards in order to maintain their registration in the official EQAR Register. This recognition allows their evaluations to be acknowledged across Europe, facilitating the mobility and recognition of students and academic staff. Registration in EQAR is also a legal requirement under Spanish regulations for carrying out evaluation and accreditation functions.
The Andalusian quality assurance agency, previously known as AGAE and later as DEVA-AAC, has been a part of the EQAR Register since 2009. With the favourable evaluation obtained in 2024, ACCUA has now successfully renewed its registration three times, following previous renewals in 2014 and 2020.
The renewal process begins with an external review of the agency, conducted by an independent panel of international experts, to assess its compliance with 14 European standards. These standards address a wide range of areas, including internal operations and external quality assurance procedures for institutions, programs, and teaching in higher education.
ACCUA's external review was coordinated by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). A panel of five international experts led the process, first analysing the self-assessment report prepared by the agency and subsequently conducting an on-site visit. Over three days, the panel held various meetings with agency staff, external evaluators, representatives of the Andalusian Regional Government, university leadership, faculty members, students, and business representatives.
In September, ENQA’s review panel issued a report concluding that ACCUA complies extensively with the ESG, showing an improvement over previous evaluations. This report was then taken into consideration by EQAR's Register Committee, which, at its meeting on November 27, approved the renewal of ACCUA's registration. The Committee praised the Andalusian agency for its successful evaluation and the renewal of its registration, valid until March 30, 2029.
Antonio José Cubero Atienza, ACCUA's Director since November 2023, commented, "The favourable evaluation conducted by ENQA, and its ratification by EQAR, motivates us to continue improving the quality of our internal processes and external quality assurance activities." He added that this renewal is "a success for the entire Andalusian public university system and great news for it, as it helps further promote the international recognition of our institutions, degree programs, faculty, and students."