Rules Concerning International Joint Accreditation
Established between JUAA and TWAEA on January 30, 2018
Revised on September 7, 2018
Revised on September 27, 2019
Revised to include ONESQA on January 27, 2021
Revised on January 25, 2022
Revised on January 31, 2024
CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1
Purpose
These Rules provide for matters necessary to jointly implement university
accreditation (hereinafter referred to as “Joint Accreditation”) pursuant to theMemorandum of Understanding between the listed member agencies.
Article 2Higher Education Institutions Subject to Joint AccreditationHigher Education Institutions (hereinafter referred to as “HEIs”) subject to Joint
Accreditation are HEIs that have been established under the laws andregulations of the respective countries.
Article 3
Commencement of Joint Accreditation
If a request for Joint Accreditation is received, the International Joint
Accreditation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the “AccreditationCommittee”) will commence the assessment for Joint Accreditation.
Article 4
Accreditation Method
Accreditations are to be conducted through document analysis based on selfassessment reports and other necessary materials prepared in accordance withthe separately provided International Joint Accreditation Standards(hereinafter referred to as the “Standards”) as well as through site visits.
Article 5Accreditation Results
Accreditation results are certified as “accredited” or “non-accredited” based onthe Standards.

Article 6
Accreditation Cycle
HEIs certified as meeting the Standards that wish to be certified on a continuous
basis will receive the next accreditation within six years after receiving theprevious accreditation.
CHAPTER II

MEMBER AGENCIES

Article 7

Eligibility

Member agencies are those that have a proven performance in the university
evaluation in their respective countries and that meet the following
requirements.
1. Support the purpose of Joint Accreditation.
2. Engage in the Joint Accreditation project.
3. Review their own organization and activities constantly and make efforts toenhance themselves in order to achieve the mission and purpose of their own
activities.
Article 8
Accession of New Member Agencies
Agencies may submit a letter of intent and an overview of their agency to theiJAS Secretariat (defined in CHAPTER V) if they wish to become an affiliate.
Accession is reviewed by the Accreditation Committee. After approval, thesecretariat of each agency reports to its Board of Trustees/Executive Board.
CHAPTER III

INTERNATIONAL JOINT ACCREDITATION COMMITTEE

Article 9

Establishment of the Joint Accreditation Committee

The Accreditation Committee is to be established as a collegial body of all
member agencies to carry out Joint Accreditation.
Article 10Composition and Term of Office of Accreditation Committee
Members
1. The Accreditation Committee is composed of nine to fifteen committee
members.
2. The iJAS Secretariat consults member agencies to nominate representatives.
The representatives will be recruited by the member agencies from experts
who possess rich experiences in higher education in their respective countries.

3. If there is a vacancy among the committee members, it shall follow theprocedures set out in paragraph 2 of this Article and fill the vacancy.
4. The term of office of each committee member is three years. There shall be nolimit on consecutive terms.
5. The term of office of a replacement committee member is the remaining termof the predecessor of that committee member.
Article 11Committee Chair and Vice-Chair

1. The Accreditation Committee consists of one committee chair and one
committee vice-chair.
2. The committee chair and vice-chair are elected by the committee members.
At the point, the committee chair and vice-chair will be selected fromdifferent countries.
3. The committee chair is in charge of the duties of the Accreditation Committee.
4. The committee vice-chair assists the committee chair, and if the committee
chair is unable to perform the duties or if the office of the committee chair isvacant, the committee vice-chair will act in the place. In the case of a vacancy,
a new committee chair shall be appointed as soon as practicable.
Article 12
Holding of Accreditation Committee Meetings
1. The committee chair shall convene Accreditation Committee meetings;
provided, however, that the committee chair must convene an Accreditation
Committee meeting no later than forty-five days if one-third or more of thecommittee members so request.
2. In the case of the preceding paragraph, the Accreditation Committee may
hold a meeting using the web conference system if the committee chair deems
it necessary.
3. In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph 1, the committee chair may
substitute a resolution of the Accreditation Committee by obtaining theapproval of the committee members in writing or by other means, without
convening an Accreditation Committee meeting if the committee chair deems
it necessary.
4. No Accreditation Committee meeting may be held without the attendance ofhalf or more of the committee members.
5. Decisions of the Accreditation Committee are to be made by a majority of thecommittee members in attendance, and in the event of a tie, the committee

chair shall make that decision.
Article 13
Exclusion of Interested Parties
1. No Accreditation Committee member may participate in deliberations ordecisions related to the Joint Accreditation of the HEI to which that memberbelongs.
2. If any committee member falls under the preceding paragraph, that member
will not be included in the committee members in attendance under Article
12 paragraph 3.
Article 14
No Proxies for Accreditation Committee Members
The duties of an Accreditation Committee member may not be performed by aproxy.
CHAPTER IV

REVIEW TEAM

Article 15

Establishment of the Review TeamThe Review Team is to be established to conduct document analysis and sitevisits under the Accreditation Committee.
Article 16
Composition of the Review Team
1. In principle, the Review Team is to be composed of five members.
2. In principle, one of the members in the preceding paragraph will be selectedby the Accreditation Committee from the country of the Applicant HEI(defined in CHAPTER VI).
3. The four members in paragraph 1 other than the member selected inparagraph 2 will be selected by the Accreditation Committee from among
countries other than the country of the Applicant HEI.
4. If there is a vacancy among the Review Team members, the Accreditation
Committee shall fill that vacancy in accordance with the procedures inparagraph 2 or paragraph 3 (as applicable).
5. The Review Team member cannot be the expert from the Applicant HEI.
Article 17
Chief of Review Team
1. The Review Team is to have one chief.
2. The chief is to be appointed by the Accreditation Committee from among themembers. At that time, the member selected in paragraph 2 of the precedingarticle may not be appointed as the chief.
3. The chief shall convene the Review Team meeting in accordance with theinstructions of the Accreditation Committee chair.
Article 18
No Proxies for Reviewers
The duties of a reviewer may not be performed by a proxy.
CHAPTER V

SECTRETARIAT

Article 19
Establishment of the iJAS Secretariat
To promote Joint Accreditation, the Japan University Accreditation Associationand the Taiwan Assessment and Evaluation Association as the two founding
agencies jointly establish a Secretariat.
The duties of the iJAS Secretariat are to:
1. Policy Development: The Secretariat formulates draft policies for Joint
Accreditation, including standards, criteria, and guidelines.
2. Coordination and Planning: The Secretariat coordinates, plans, and oversees
Joint Accreditation tasks, providing transparent updates and reports tostakeholders.
3. Quality Assurance: The Secretariat ensures accreditation process integrity,
conducting periodic evaluations and addressing deficiencies.
4. Capacity Building: The Secretariat organizes workshops and training for
personnel and reviewers in Joint Accreditation, enhancing competencies.
5. International Collaboration: The Secretariat collaborates with other agencies,
fostering global recognition of Joint Accreditation through knowledgesharing.
CHAPTER VIJOINT ACCREDITATION PROCEDURES

Article 20
Submission of Materials
1. A HEI that applies for Joint Accreditation (hereinafter referred to as an“Applicant HEI”) shall submit an application form and prescribed materials to
the iJAS Secretariat by the specified date.
2. An Applicant HEI shall submit any additional materials other than those set
out in the preceding paragraph if so requested by the Accreditation

Committee or the Review Team.
Article 21
Withdrawal of Application
1. An Applicant HEI may withdraw its application on or after the day on which
the Accreditation Committee starts the accreditation process. When an
application is withdrawn, the accreditation fee paid will not formally berefunded.
2. Any request in the preceding paragraph must be made in writing.
Article 22
Training of Committee Members and Reviewers
The iJAS Secretariat shall plan training for committee members and reviewers
on evaluation practices. The member agencies shall provide training in an
appropriate manner in accordance with the accreditation schedule.
Article 23
Document Analysis
The Review Team shall carry out document analysis based on the materials
submitted by each Applicant HEI.
Article 24
Site Visits
The Review Team shall carry out site visits in which all of the Review Teammembers participate based on the document analysis.
Article 25
Preparation of Accreditation Results (Draft by Review Team)The Review Team chief shall prepare the accreditation results (draft by ReviewTeam) by the specified date based on the document analysis and site visit.
Article 26
Statement of Opinion
1. The iJAS Secretariat shall present the accreditation results (draft by ReviewTeam) in the preceding article to the Applicant HEI.
2. After receiving the accreditation results (draft by Review Team), theApplicant HEI may state its opinion on any factual error or other matters inthe accreditation results (draft by Review Team) to the Review Team inwriting by the specified date.
3. If the Applicant HEI states its opinion under the preceding paragraph, theReview Team chief shall hold a Review Team meeting and deliberate onwhether to adopt that opinion.

4. As a response to the stated opinion, the decision on whether to adopt thatopinion, together with the reason therefor, is to be promptly conveyed to theApplicant HEI.
Article 27
Determination of the Accreditation Results
1. After the procedures in the preceding article are complete, the Review Teamchief shall submit the accreditation results (final draft) to the Accreditation
Committee.
2. The Accreditation Committee shall deliberate on the accreditation results(final draft) and confirm the accreditation results.
3. Each member agency reports the accreditation results to its own Board ofTrustees/Executive Board.
CHAPTER VII ANNOUNCEMENT OF ACCREDITATION RESULTS
Article 28
Notification of Accreditation Results
After obtaining the decision of the Accreditation Committee on theaccreditation results, the iJAS Secretariat shall promptly notify the Applicant
HEI of those results.
Article 29
Announcement of Accreditation Results
Each member agency shall announce the accreditation results on theirrespective websites.
CHAPTER VIII REVIEW OF APPEALS AGAINST ACCREDITATION RESULTS
Article 30
Appeal Committee
An appeal is to be reviewed by reviewers from countries other than the countryof the Applicant HEI.
Article 31
Review Procedures
Appeal review procedures are to be separately provided.
CHAPTER IXCERTIFICATE OF ACCREDITATION

Article 32

Certificate of Accreditation

A Certificate of Accreditation is to be delivered to any Applicant HEI that has
been accredited as meeting the Standards as a result of the Joint Accreditation.
CHAPTER X

ACCREDITATION FEE

Article 33
Accreditation Fee
An accreditation fee is to be separately stipulated upon consultation among eachmember agency.
CHAPTER XIREVISION OF THE STANDARDSArticle 34
Establishment of and Revisions to the Standards
The Standards are established and revised by the Accreditation Committee.
CHAPTER XII MISCELLANEOUS
Article 35

Revisions to and Abolition of these Rules

Revisions to and abolition of these Rules are to be made by the Accreditation
Committee.
Supplementary Provisions (January 30, 2018)
These rules are effective from January 30, 2018.
Supplementary Provisions (September 7, 2018）
These rules are effective from September 7, 2018.
Supplementary Provisions (September 27, 2019)
These rules are effective from September 27, 2019.
Supplementary Provisions (January 27, 2021)
These rules are effective from June 1, 2021.
Supplementary Provisions (January 25, 2022)
These rules are effective from January 25, 2022.
Supplementary Provisions (January 31, 2024)

These rules are effective from January 31, 2024.