Enquiry process to ensure the accreditation process meets provider needs.
Your gateway to enhancing quality, strengthening reputation and delivering strategic growth
QAA International Quality Accreditation (IQA) gives your institution a globally recognised quality mark, proving you meet rigorous international standards. It boosts your credibility and positioning, builds trust with students and partners worldwide, and drives growth through enhanced recognition and continuous improvement.
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Compliance with the ESG
The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) provide the framework for internal and external quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area. QAA’s review methods are compliant with these standards, as are the reports we publish. More information is available on our website.
How IQA elevates your institutional reputation and excellence through quality enhancement:
International benchmarking and accreditation
Demonstrates institutional alignment with internationally recognised standards, enabling comparison with international peers and frameworks, and certified via the QAA Quality Mark.
Institutional credibility and recognition
Enhances institutional standing with partners, regulators, funders, employers and international peers, and builds public trust with students through a transparent, independent peer review and accreditation by QAA.
Drives improvement and excellence
Builds institutional capability and helps create a quality-led culture focused on continuous enhancement. Facilitates the development of mature quality assurance systems and processes, identifying areas of strength and those needing improvement via collaborative, expert feedback.
Assurance for partnership expansion
Signals a credible commitment to quality and meeting global standards – strengthening institutional appeal for franchising, dual awards, and transnational partnerships.
The University received international institutional accreditation from QAA and this accomplishment affirms the quality of education the University provides and its commitment to the highest standards of academic excellence.
Al Ain University, UAE
Accredited in 2024
Achieving accreditation: A streamlined and constructive process
IQA provides institutions with an independent peer review leading to accreditation by QAA. It tests whether an institution meets the 10 European standards of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
The IQA process is enhancement-orientated and collaborative – it goes beyond compliance to be genuinely supportive, ensuring institutions gain maximum benefit from the experience. We provide clear criteria and a well-defined timeline, reducing administrative demands on providers, minimising complexity, and focusing on meaningful outcomes.
The key stages in the IQA process
Stage 1
Enquiry and Application
Stage 2
Scoping
QAA works with the provider to agree a detailed specification for the review.
Stage 3
Review and Accreditation
The review is the opportunity for your institution to demonstrate how it meets each of the 10 Standards of the ESG. The review team conducts the review through analysis of the evidence submitted and a visit to the institution.
A successful review enables you to demonstrate, through the right to display the IQA Mark, that your quality assurance processes are both effective and comparable with international best practice. The accreditation period is five years and is subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review.
A successful review enables you to demonstrate, through the right to display the IQA Mark, that your quality assurance processes are both effective and comparable with international best practice. The accreditation period is five years and is subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review.
Stage 4
Mid-cycle review
The mid-cycle review occurs in the third year of accreditation after the provider has received their IQA review, and enables QAA to monitor progress against the action plan submitted at the end of the review stage.
Full information about each stage of the IQA method is available in the handbooks below:
International Quality Accreditation: Guidance for providers based outside the UK
Publication date: 11 Feb 2026
International Quality Accreditation: Guidance for providers based in England
Publication date: 11 Feb 2026
Contact us to apply or enquire about how QAA international accreditation can support your quality ambitions
Email us to find out more details about the process and start your accreditation journey, or arrange a meeting with our team to discuss IQA within your institutional context.
How we've helped institutions around the world demonstrate excellence in quality
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Since achieving accreditation in 2022, the number of international partnerships has expanded by 60% year on year. Furthermore, accreditation has bolstered the confidence of both multinational and local employers in the quality of our graduates.
British University Vietnam
Accredited in 2022
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Accreditation has reinforced our academic governance, strengthened our assurance mechanisms, and ensured that our curricula meet the highest international benchmarks. Most importantly, it has positioned GUST as a trusted partner in global education, opening new pathways for collaboration, research, and innovation.
Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait
Accredited in 2024
Read the full case study
Obtaining QAA accreditation has acted as a multiplier for Doha Institute’s visibility, credibility, and influence; enhancing stakeholder confidence, supporting student mobility, and reinforcing the Institute’s leadership in quality assurance both nationally and regionally.
Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Qatar
Accredited in 2022
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Read more of our case studies and discover how institutions have benefited from achieving QAA international accreditation.
Published accreditation reports
We've accredited institutions in 18 countries around the world, helping them to build trust, enhance their reputation and position themselves as leaders in global education.
