We at the Accreditation Council Foundation understand accreditation as regular external quality assurance that ensures that every single study program in Germany meets the required criteria specified by the Interstate Treaty on the Accreditation of Studies.
Accreditation provides reliable orientation and creates transparency regarding study programmes and degrees for students, prospective students and future employers.
We at the German Accreditation Council understand accreditation as a regular external quality assurance that ensures that every single study programme in Germany meets the required criteria specified by the interstate study accreditation treaty. Accreditation provides reliable orientation and creates transparency regarding study programs and degrees for students, prospective students and future employers.
Regular external quality assurance is closely linked to the goals of the Bologna Process, which was initiated by European education ministers in 1999. It created the basis for comparable and compatible study programmes and degrees throughout Europe and marked the starting point for the tiered study system (Bachelor/Master) and for the development of the German accreditation system. Since then, accreditation has contributed to the implementation of the Standards and Guidelines (ESG) defined in the Bologna Process in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Further information on the Bologna Process can be found here.
Academic freedom in Germany is our greatest asset – the Federal Constitutional Court took this principle into account with its ruling on February 17, 2016. As a consequence, the State Treaty on Accreditation was adopted, which fundamentally reorganizes the Accreditation system.
Whereas under the “old” law the Agencies had the decision-making authority, under the “new” law the Accreditation Council now decides on accreditations. The criteria that study programmes and higher education management systems must meet are defined in the specimen decree (MRVO), which has been ratified by the federal states and transposed into the respective federal state ordinance.
Our work is based on three pillars:
Our task is to decide on the accreditation and re-accreditation of study programmes and internal quality management systems. We are actively involved in shaping and developing the objectives and requirements of the German quality assurance system.
In a joint process, we defined the following in 2024:
Our vision:
“We make quality-assured decisions on the accreditation of study programmes, higher education quality management systems and Alternative Procedures. On behalf of the federal states, we thus generate visible added value for society by ensuring that students acquire qualified skills.
We award our seal of accreditation as a seal of quality and distinction for studying and teaching – recognized throughout Germany and internationally.”
As “enablers”, we ensure that students receive maximum security, mobility and flexibility through accredited degree programs:
Accreditation ensures that study programmes meet defined quality standards. This gives students and higher education institutions orientation and confidence.
An accredited qualification indicates that the training meets certain standards – this makes it easier to assess qualifications.
Compliance with standards defined throughout Europe (European Standards and Guidelines) simplifies the comparability of qualifications, which can support Recognition abroad.
Accreditation creates clarity about the quality of studies and teaching – for students, higher education institutions, employers and the public.
You can find our foundation’s mission, mission statement and video here.